Trump giving a speech at Mount Rushmore [AP=Yonhap News]

On July 3 (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump visited Mount Rushmore in South Dakota for the first time in six years, ahead of the nation's 250th Independence Day anniversary.

President Trump delivered his speech at the park, home to the massive carved heads of four former U.S. presidents: George Washington (1st), Thomas Jefferson (3rd), Abraham Lincoln (16th), and Theodore Roosevelt (26th).

Prior to the speech, Air Force One, carrying the President, performed a commemorative flyover above Mount Rushmore upon its arrival.

In his speech, President Trump inspired national pride, calling the U.S., which is celebrating its 250th anniversary, the "oldest republic" on Earth and describing it as "the most successful, the most accomplished, and the most magnificent nation that has ever existed in human history."

However, he soon pivoted to division and attack rather than unity, labeling the "democratic socialism" emerging within the opposition Democratic Party as "communism."

President Trump stated, "We see that our American identity is currently under a new type of attack," adding, "A generation has passed since we fought and won the Cold War against the threat of communism, yet now the threat of communism is emerging here on our own soil."

He continued, "This includes immigrants who adopt ideologies that are completely antithetical to our way of life and our great success," declaring, "We will not let them win. They cannot defeat us."

President Trump further asserted, "America will never become a communist nation. The only way we lose in the midterm elections is if we allow ourselves to lose, if we are foolish, stupid, or unwise." This appeared to be an "ideological offensive" against the Democratic Party amidst his recent decline in approval ratings.

He then urged the abolition of the Senate filibuster and the passage of the "Save America Act"—also known as a voter ID bill—claiming, "If we do that, we will not lose an election for 100 years."

Regarding Iran, President Trump remarked, "They desperately want a deal," adding, "We gave them a week off to hold the funeral (for former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei) because we have been kind for 250 years."

Air Force One flying over Mount Rushmore featuring the faces of former U.S. presidents [AP=Yonhap News]

President Trump's previous visit to this site was on the eve of Independence Day in 2020, during his first term.

At that time, he faced criticism for holding a political rally to rally his base ahead of the presidential election, disregarding concerns over the rapid surge of COVID-19 infections.

This year, the President visited South Dakota amidst disruptions, as record-breaking heatwaves—with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in the eastern U.S.—led to the cancellation of several preliminary Independence Day events.

With the November midterm elections—which will determine his political fate—approaching, President Trump is preparing for the 250th-anniversary celebrations to be as grand as possible.

Particularly as he enters the second year of his second term, with rising living costs and surging energy prices due to the war in Iran driving down his approval ratings, President Trump has sought to use this Independence Day as an opportunity to highlight and promote the achievements of his second administration.

While traveling from Washington, D.C., to Mount Rushmore, he posted on Truth Social, citing achievements such as the stock market rally, tax cuts, reduction in trade deficits, and new investment since the start of his second term, writing, "This is what winning looks like. A golden age of America is beginning."

However, Agence France-Presse (AFP) criticized the visit and speech, noting, "It was a fitting scene for a president who considers himself one of the greats and who has consistently tried to turn these important American holidays into events celebrating himself."

Meanwhile, although there have been numerous reports that President Trump has long desired for his own face to be carved into Mount Rushmore, he has personally denied such claims.

In a statement sent to the Washington Post (WP) on this day, the White House stated, "There would be no better person to add to the iconic Mount Rushmore than Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th President of the United States."

Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), a pro-Trump Republican, has introduced legislation to have President Trump's face carved into Mount Rushmore during his second term.