‘Communist menace in our land’: Trump’s July 4 rallying cry to America

President Donald Trump is set to cap a weeks-long celebration of the country’s 250th anniversary with a hyped political rally speech on the National Mall Saturday, coming off his wind-up at Mount Rushmore, where he railed against communism.

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Trump has boasted that his July 4 nighttime address in front of the Washington Monument would be “the most spectacular TRUMP RALLY of them all.” It was certainly guaranteed to be hot. Temperatures are forecast to hit above 100 degrees and festivities included seven scheduled hours of flyovers by military planes — including the new Qatari-gifted jet serving as Air Force One. 

The president said on his social media platform Saturday afternoon that “crowds in D.C. are INCREDIBLE!” But extreme heat postponed entry to the National Mall until 5 p.m. ET and caused the District of Columbia to cancel its annual parade as the city faced a severe thunderstorm watch.

His speech at the national memorial in Keystone, South Dakota, on Friday night hewed more closely to a Cold War-era campaign address than one meant to unify the country around its 250th birthday.

He framed the midterm elections as a battle against the “resurgence of the communist menace in our land.” He portrayed an Americ a under siege by communism, which he described as a “mortal threat to American liberty” and one being revived by “newcomers to our country who embrace ideas totally opposed to our way of life and our great success.”

“The Communist Party is made up of illegal immigrants, criminals, and everybody that doesn’t want to work,” Trump said, seemingly aiming his remarks at the MAGA base that elected him president for a second time in 2024.

His dark warnings come on the heels of stunning election victories by democratic socialist candidates in New York and Colorado. He said it was imperative that Republicans win the midterms in November and retain control of the legislative branch — and he demanded Congress pass a bill to require proof of citizenship when registering to vote.