President Trump expressed pride in serving as the nation’s commander-in-chief Friday in a patriotic speech at Mount Rushmore on the eve of the country’s 250th birthday. 

“Tonight, we gather on the eve of one of the most extraordinary days in the history of the world,” Trump said in remarks in South Dakota, with the carved granite faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt serving as the backdrop.   

“Tomorrow we mark 250 years of glorious independence and 250 years of majestic American freedom – nothing like it,” he continued. 

Trump described America as “the strongest and most powerful country on earth,” as well as “by the grace of God … the most successful, most accomplished, most exceptional nation ever to exist in human history.” 

“And it is great to be your president,” he declared.

Hundreds flocked to Mount Rushmore to see President Trump make his America 250 speech on Friday.

South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum made brief remarks before Trump took the stage at 11:05 p.m. EDT and spoke for roughly 30 minutes.

Air Force One soared over the monument to start the Freedom 250 celebration, and multiple UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters did a flyover as Burgum took the stage

Donald Trump Jr. and his newlywed wife, Bettina Anderson, were also in attendance for the speech.

During his speech, Trump praised America along with his accomplishments during his second administration so far.

President Trump warned Friday that communism poses a “mortal threat” to the country during a speech at Mount Rushmore on the eve of America’s 250th birthday. 

“As we approach this magnificent anniversary, we see our American identity under a renewed attack,” Trump said in his remarks in South Dakota. 

“A generation after we fought and won the Cold War against the menace of communism, there is now a resurgence of the communist menace in our land, including from newcomers to our country who embrace ideas totally opposed to our way of life and our great success,” the president continued. 

“These are not mere political disagreements, like differences over taxes or regulations. Communism is a mortal threat to American liberty. It is the greatest threat to our country,” Trump declared.  

The president described the political and economic ideology as “the exact opposite of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

“It's death, tyranny and the pursuit of evil,” he said. 

“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,” Trump declared. 

The president vowed that America would never become a communist country.

President Trump is now on stage for his Mount Rushmore address to celebrate America's 250th birthday.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum spoke before the president took the stage.

Air Force One flew over Mount Rushmore Friday night ahead of President Trump’s speech on the eve of America’s 250th birthday.

After the president’s speech, there will be a massive fireworks show over the colossal national memorial in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

The White House on Friday trolled newlyweds Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce in a social media post spoofing their Madison Square Garden marriage announcement.

“IT’S HAPPENED!!!” the White House posted on X, including a fake image of massive purple digital signs outside the Garden reading, “Trump is your president.” 

The post was a spoof of the “JUST&T MARRIED!” messages posted outside the Big Apple arena — the site of the Swift-Kelce wedding — letting the public know the couple had exchanged their “I do’s.” 

Two years ago, President Trump declared that he hated Swift in a social media post shortly after the “Bad Blood” singer endorsed former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.   

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The Great American State Fair reopened Friday evening after scorching temperatures in Washington, DC, prompted an afternoon shutdown. 

With temperatures still in the mid-90s, the crowd was sparse after the 5 p.m. ET reopening.

President Trump signed 11 pardons Friday, a White House official told The Post, including six he posted about on social media. 

“It is my Great Honor to have just signed Pardons for six people who were persecuted by the Biden Administration, and were in, or being sent to, prison, for ‘fixing their car,’” the president wrote on Truth Social. “While I know this sounds ridiculous, it is nevertheless a fact, and part of the Weaponization and Stupidity that our Country had to endure during four long years of Sleepy Joe Biden.

“ I AM SETTING THEM ALL FREE, RIGHT NOW!” 

The complete list of Friday’s pardons, including descriptions of their cases provided by the White House, below: 

• Joshua Davis - Biden’s Department of Injustice targeted American businesses like Mr. Davis’s, who safely modified vehicles in good faith and circumvented cumbersome emissions controls regulations. President Trump has relieved consumers from these regulatory burdens; thus, there is no need for Mr. Davis to still be on probation, but to be pardoned.

• Matt Geouge - Like Joshua Davis, Mr. Geouge was a victim of the previous Administration’s wrongful and unnecessary regulations on emissions controls, receiving prison time for modifying trucks and lost his business in the process. He deserves his life and his business back. 

• Jonathan Achtemeier - American businessman Mr. Achtemeier helped people increase the lifespan of their trucks despite the burdensome emissions regulations imposed by the Biden Administration, but was excessively punished. He deserves a life without a stain on his record.

• Tim Clancy - The Biden Administration’s crushing environmental regulations on emissions controls not only killed vehicles but businesses too, including small business owner and Army veteran Mr. Clancy’s. Thanks to President Trump, Americans have the right to safely tune their and Mr. Clancy should not be criminalized for a policy that is no longer in effect.

• Ryan and Wade Lalone - To combat the monopoly on emissions-related repairs and increased costs allowed under the Biden Administration, Ryan and Wade Lalone bypassed emissions controls systems on semi-trucks and were persecuted for it. Such an enforcement by the former bureaucratic government was aggressive and invasive, and thanks to President Trump’s historic action to reduce or remove the economic burdens, these Americans are no longer criminals.

• Barry Pierce - The Trump Administration is not in the business to criminalize American entrepreneurs like Mr. Pierce, who tried to modify and repair trucks on his own but received egregious penalties and served time in prison. Such restrictions to the free market under the Biden Administration are no longer in effect, and thus Mr. Pierce should be a free man with a clean slate.

• Aaron Rudolf - Mr. Rudolf was excessively prosecuted by the Biden Administration, which weaponized burdensome regulations and jacked up operational costs for blue-collar workers in the auto industry. Since this policy is no longer in effect, hard working Americans like Mr. Rudolf should be given a pardon.

• Adam Kidan - In 2006, Adam Kidan was convicted and pled guilty to fraud and conspiracy charges. Following Mr. Kidan’s release from prison in 2009, he found work at a staffing agency and dedicated himself to learning the business so as to aid others in finding employment. He ultimately assisted in the founding of a staffing business, Chartwell Staffing Solutions, which grew into one of the 100 largest staffing companies in the world. Since leaving Chartwell in 2018, Mr. Kidan has served as the president of Empire Workforce Solutions which is currently the fourteenth fastest growing staffing company in the United States. Over the course of his career in the staffing industry, Mr. Kidan’s businesses have secured employment for over 250,000 individuals in entry-level jobs. 

• Mackenzie Spurlock - Mr. Spurlock tuned trucks on his own to combat the rising costs of vehicle repairs by Biden’s antibusiness environmental regulations, and doing so allowed him to safely operate his small business amidst the extreme weather conditions in Alaska. He was also a victim of the previous Administration’s Department of Injustice, as both his home and business were raided because of this “violation.” Mr. Spurlock should be given a pardon as this burdensome policy is no longer in place, thanks to President Trump, and should be allowed to rejoin the military with a clean record.

• Jack Harvard - Mr. Havard is given a pardon because of his upstanding record post-conviction. After prison, Mr. Harvard turned his life around by committing himself to public service—protecting and raising endangered animals on his ranch, and allowing the US military and NATO troops to train on his land free of charge.

President Trump signed a proclamation Friday declaring July 4 the 250th anniversary of America’s independence. 

“[B]y virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim July 4, 2026, as the 250th Anniversary of the Adoption of the Declaration of Independence,” read the proclamation. 

“I urge all Americans to proudly observe this day with all due ceremony to honor the glorious heritage, history, and accomplishments of our beloved Republic," Trump added.

President Trump pardoned six people on Friday for “fixing their car,” he said in a post on Truth Social.

“It is my Great Honor to have just signed Pardons for six people who were persecuted by the Biden Administration, and were in, or being sent to, prison, for “fixing their car.” While I know this sounds ridiculous, it is nevertheless a fact,” he wrote.

Trump was weighing pardoning a group of people convicted of emissions and clean air-related violations, CBS News reported. Trump did not immediately ID the six people.

President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone Friday and agreed to meet in the US “in the near future,” according to the latter's office.

​“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just spoke with US President Donald Trump and congratulated him on the occasion of the 250th Independence Day of the United States of America,” read a communique by the leader of the Jewish state.

”​The Prime Minister said in the conversation that the US is a guarantor of global freedom, and Israel highly appreciates the close bond between the two nations,” he added.

The seemingly amicable call came after tensions between the two reached new heights in recent weeks as Trump pushed for diplomacy with Iran and demanded Israel refrain from attacking Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The White House did not immediately publish a readout of the call and did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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The oppressive heat and humidity in Washington, DC, has forced the Great American State Fair on the National Mall to suspend operations until 5 p.m.

Messages on video boards around the festival instructed attendees to "proceed to the nearest exit."

"It is miserably hot and humid today," wrote Fox News congressional correspondent Bill Melugin on X, "genuinely feels like a sauna when you step outside."