Donald Trump celebrated America's 250th birthday with an alarming and nakedly partisan speech in front of Mount Rushmore last night, according to reports. The address, which was the penultimate stop in his tour marking the anniversary, quickly descended into a preview of how many fear he plans to overturn a potential defeat in November's midterm elections and subjugate his political enemies.
Blood and Soil-Lite Rhetoric
Speaking before one of the nation's most beloved national monuments, Trump gave a nativist, almost ethnonationalist speech, painting Americans as a particular 'breed' tracing their identities back to 'Athens, Jerusalem and Rome.' He said, 'America has a destiny like no other because we are a people like no other. For whatever reason, that's just the way it is.' Trump claimed the 'old world' had sent 'its bravest, boldest, and most resilient, its fiercest, most faithful, and freedom loving. These men and women brought values, traditions, and customs transmitted over the centuries in Britain and stretching back even further to Athens, Jerusalem, and Rome.'
Critics noted that he omitted the fact that these settlers also brought enslaved people, and ignored the 18 million or so indigenous people already living in America. The speech has been widely described as bearing the hallmarks of Stephen Miller, Trump's deputy chief of staff, whose ideology has been labeled as ethnonationalist and white supremacist by civil rights groups.
Chilling Preview of Autocratic Plans
Trump's remarks also included a chilling threat to his political opponents. He pushed for the 'SAVE America Act,' which would require strict photo ID to register to vote, seize control of voter rolls, and clamp down on postal voting. Despite the bill having zero chance of passing due to Democratic opposition, Trump urged Republicans to abolish the filibuster, a move known as the nuclear option. He stated, 'We can only lose the midterms if we allow ourselves to lose the midterms, if we are foolish, stupid, and unwise. But if we terminate the filibuster, as we should do, and immediately vote for the SAVE America Act, then we will not lose an election for a hundred years.'
Branding Democrats as 'Communists'
Trump also sought to 'other' Democrats, branding them as 'communists' and 'Marxists.' He said, 'As we approach this magnificent anniversary, we see our American identity under a renewed attack a generation after we fought and won the Cold War against the menace of communism.' He baselessly suggested left-leaning Democrats were foreigners, adding, '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.'
Threat of Exile
Perhaps the most chilling segment was Trump's suggestion that 'communists' would be 'sent into exile.' He said, 'Don't let them take too much of your time. But we're not going to let them take up too long or too much of our time as they play their games and send them into exile. We will send them quickly away.'
White Nationalist March and Newsom's Warning
Coinciding with the speech, white nationalist group Patriot Front marched in Washington DC, with several hundred men chanting 'reclaim America.' One streamer described the event as 'total Aryan victory.' Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom warned that Trump is in 'physical and emotional decline' and that 'the worst is yet to come.' In an interview, Newsom said, 'Across the spectrum, this guy is failing and increasingly flailing, and it's self-evident that decline from a physical, and an emotional, and a sort of cognizant perspective. But the power he continues to wield is real and we have to be absolutely mindful that the worst is yet to come, this is just the beginning.'
