President Donald Trump is set to kick off a weekend of celebrations for America's 250th birthday with a speech at Mount Rushmore on Friday. The president is scheduled to deliver remarks at the national monument at 8:30 p.m. local time.
The Mount Rushmore festivities are planned to include flyovers, performances by military bands, and tributes to the Armed Services, culminating in a large fireworks display. This will be the first fireworks show at the national memorial in years, according to the National Park Service.
Trump will travel to Keystone, South Dakota, aboard the newly retrofitted Air Force One 747. He previously used the jet for a trip to North Dakota earlier this week for the opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library.
Trump last spoke at Mount Rushmore in 2020, during his first term, a period marked by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. At that time, he mused about the possibility of adding his likeness to the mountain alongside the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln, calling it a "good idea" after his speech.
This visit precedes a significant event in Washington, D.C., for the Fourth of July. The "Salute to America 250 Celebration & Fireworks" is scheduled for Saturday at 7 p.m. on the National Mall. The president has indicated he will deliver a lengthy speech for the occasion, which is being promoted as the largest fireworks display ever held on the Mall.
Trump has described the Washington event as the "most spectacular TRUMP RALLY of them all." The nation's 250th anniversary festivities are occurring as much of the country experiences extreme heat, though Trump stated earlier in the week that the high temperatures would not prevent him from delivering his remarks.