Standing before Mount Rushmore’s carvings of four great Americans, President Donald Trump gave an Independence Day speech in which he highlighted the traditional principles that have made the U.S. the envy of the world, while also warning that these principles and freedoms are increasingly threatened by a growing contingent of homegrown radicals.

“No nation has done more to advance the human condition than the United States of America,” Trump noted. “And no people have done more to promote human progress than the citizens of our great nation.”

Trump observed that our nation set the standard for genuine human equality with the Declaration of Independence and its conviction that “all men are created equal,” and that “these immortal words set in motion the unstoppable march of freedom” that eventually brought about the end of slavery. Trump noted that both Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King Jr. believed in America and were optimistic for a future in which their nation realized those founding ideals.

Trump declared, “We must demand that our children are taught once again to see America as did Reverend Martin Luther King, when he said that the Founders had signed ‘a promissory note’ to every future generation. Dr. King saw the mission of justice required us to fully embrace our founding ideals. He called on his fellow citizens not to rip down their heritage, but to live up to their heritage.”

Recognizing the growing threat of Marxism, Trump pointedly warned, “As we meet here tonight, there is a growing danger that threatens every blessing our ancestors fought so hard for, struggled [for], [and] bled to secure. Our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children.”

“Make no mistake,” he said: “This left-wing cultural revolution is designed to overthrow the American Revolution. In so doing, they would destroy the very civilization that rescued billions from poverty, disease, violence, and hunger, and that lifted humanity to new heights of achievement, discovery, and progress. To make this possible, they are determined to tear down every statue, symbol, and memory of our national heritage.”

Trump assured the nation that he would do all in his power to prevent this wanton destruction of America’s history and values. He then gave a brief refresher of the historical significance of the four men memorialized above and behind him: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. “No movement that seeks to dismantle these treasured American legacies can possibly have a love of America at its heart,” he said. “Can’t have it. No person who remains quiet at the destruction of this resplendent heritage can possibly lead us to a better future.”

In one of his more powerful moments, the president declared, “We will proclaim the ideals of the Declaration of Independence, and we will never surrender the spirit and the courage and the cause of July 4, 1776. Upon this ground, we will stand firm and unwavering. In the face of lies meant to divide us, demoralize us, and diminish us, we will show that the story of America unites us, inspires us, includes us all, and makes everyone free.”

Trump concluded with an optimistic yet sober call to action: “Centuries from now, our legacy will be the cities we built, the champions we forged, the good we did, and the monuments we created to inspire us all. My fellow citizens: America’s destiny is in our sights. America’s heroes are embedded in our hearts. America’s future is in our hands. And ladies and gentlemen: the best is yet to come.”

Footnote

Regarding the mainstream media’s negative coverage of the event Fox News commentator Brit Hume observed, “I don’t think I have ever seen such dishonest and biased coverage of any event.”