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President Donald Trump kicked off a weekend of celebrations for America’s 250th birthday with a speech at Mount Rushmore on Friday.
Trump delivered remarks at the famed national monument beginning at 9 p.m. local time, 11 p.m. ET.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at Mount Rushmore National Memorial on July 03, 2026 in Keystone, South Dakota. Trump is holding a rally and fireworks show at Mount Rushmore, kicking off a weekend of 250th Independence Day celebrations across the country.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Ahead of the trip, the White House suggested Trump could be an “addition” to the mountain where the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln are etched.
“There would be no better addition to the iconic Mount Rushmore than the 45th and 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in a statement to ABC News.
President Donald Trump speaks at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Friday, July 3, 2026, near Keystone, S.D.
Alex Brandon/AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Trump has previously mused about putting his likeness on the granite peak. He called it a “good idea” on social media in 2020. But so far in his second term, there’s been no significant movement toward making that a reality.
The White House did not respond to questions about whether there are actual plans to add the president’s likeness to Mount Rushmore and, if so, in what capacity.
Trump flew to Keystone, South Dakota, on the newly retrofitted Air Force One 747, a gift from the Qatari royal family. The president used the jet for the first time earlier this week for a trip to North Dakota for the opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library.
Upon his arrival, Air Force One conducted a flyover over Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota ahead of the president’s remarks.
The Mount Rushmore festivities also include performances by military bands and tributes to the Armed Services. It will culminate in a large fireworks display, the first fireworks show at the national memorial in years, according to the National Park Service.
Members of the crew make final preparations as they set up a stage at Mount Rushmore National Memorial for the Fourth of July fireworks display, where President Donald Trump is expected to appear, in Keystone, South Dakota, July 2, 2026.
Jane Ross/Reuters
Trump last spoke at Mount Rushmore in 2020, during his first term, at a time when Americans were grappling with the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump’s visit to Mount Rushmore comes ahead of a big event in Washington, D.C., for the Fourth of July.
The “Salute to America 250 Celebration & Fireworks” celebration begins Saturday at 7 p.m. in the nation’s capital. The president has teased a long speech to mark the occasion, which is being billed as the largest firework display ever held on the National Mall.
Trump has already called the event the “most spectacular TRUMP RALLY of them all.”
Festivities for the nation’s 250th anniversary are unfolding as extreme heat blankets much of the country. Trump, though, earlier this week said high temperatures wouldn’t stop him from making his remarks in Washington.
