President Donald Trump will travel to South Dakota this week to headline one of the administration’s marquee America250 events, delivering remarks during a July 3 fireworks celebration at Mount Rushmore.
South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden confirmed last Thursday that Trump will attend the event, calling it the “biggest birthday party ever” as the nation celebrates the 250th anniversary of American independence.
“It is my honor to welcome President Trump to the great state of South Dakota,” Rhoden said.
“Together, we will throw the biggest birthday party ever for our nation and celebrate America’s legacy of freedom, liberty, and justice for all.”
The Mount Rushmore celebration is expected to include military honors, live entertainment, historical exhibits, family activities and the return of fireworks to the national memorial for the first time since 2020. Trump will deliver keynote remarks beneath the monument honoring Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt.
The event represents another major milestone in the administration’s America250 initiative, which Trump has made a centerpiece of his second term.
Earlier, Trump hosted the “Great American State Fair” in Washington, where he outlined his vision for celebrating the nation’s founding.
“This anniversary is a time to be proud of our past, but it is also a time to lift our sights, expand our ambitions and raise our expectations of what America can be,” Trump said.
“We will leave our children nothing less than the richest inheritance, most advanced civilization and highest standard of living in human history… the best is yet to come.”
The Mount Rushmore fireworks display was revived after the Department of the Interior and South Dakota finalized an agreement earlier this year to bring back the tradition as part of the America250 celebration. Tickets for the event were distributed through a public lottery that has since closed.
The visit will mark Trump’s first appearance at Mount Rushmore since the 2020 Independence Day celebration during his first term, reinforcing the administration’s emphasis on patriotic commemorations throughout the yearlong America250 campaign.
