Donald Trump warns of “communist” threat during US 250th‑anniversary celebrations
President Donald Trump used the United States’ semiquincentennial events on July 3 at Mount Rushmore and July 4 on the National Mall to repeatedly denounce communism. He said, “Communism is a mortal threat to American liberty,” and called it a greater danger than Pearl Harbor, World Wars I and II, or the 9/11 attacks. The speech included 14 mentions of the word “communism,” and Reuters counted 81 references over the preceding two weeks.
Trump framed the issue as a binary choice, telling listeners, “You can be loyal to Karl Marx, or you can be loyal to America…You cannot be both.” The rhetoric targets Democratic candidates and self‑identified democratic socialists, reviving Cold‑War‑era red‑baiting as part of his midterm election strategy. Analysts note that the President’s focus coincides with rising favorable views of socialism and even communism among younger Americans, reflecting broader economic anxieties.
The Communist Party USA issued statements rejecting the label, emphasizing that the party is distinct from the Democratic Socialists of America.