President Trump used a Friday address at Mount Rushmore, delivered on the eve of America’s 250th birthday, to warn that communism represents a “mortal threat” to the United States.
“As we approach this magnificent anniversary, we see our American identity under a renewed attack,” Trump told the audience in South Dakota.
The president said that decades after the United States prevailed in the Cold War against what he called the “menace of communism,” the ideology is again gaining ground in the country, including among some newcomers who, he argued, hold views “totally opposed” to America’s way of life and success.
Trump insisted the issue goes beyond ordinary policy disputes, saying it is not comparable to debates over taxation or regulation. “Communism is a mortal threat to American liberty. It is the greatest threat to our country,” he said.
He characterized the political and economic system as the direct opposite of the founding ideals of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
“It’s death, tyranny and the pursuit of evil,” Trump said.
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Drawing a sharp contrast, Trump added: “You can be loyal to Karl Marx, or you can be loyal to America. You can be a communist, or you can be a patriot. You cannot be both.”
He concluded that the United States would never become a communist nation.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
