Trump, in fiery Mount Rushmore address, decries rise of 'far-left fascism,' calls on Americans to rise up

Speaking after the legendary U.S. Navy Blue Angels roared overhead, President Trump ushered in the July 4th weekend Friday night at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota with a full-throated condemnation of "far-left fascism" and a defense of "Judeo-Christian principles."
"This monument will never be desecrated," Trump declared to cheers and applause. "These heroes will never be defaced. Their legacy will never, ever be destroyed. Their achievements will never be forgotten. And Mount Rushmore will stand forever as an eternal tribute to our forefathers and to our freedom."
The president asserted that recent attacks on the nation's monuments, alongside "cancel culture" and the rise of the Marxist ideology of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, were symptoms of a "left-wing cultural revolution" that was threatening to "overthrow the American Revolution." BLM explicitly advocates the destruction of the "nuclear family structure," which Trump said was in fact the "bedrock of American life."
"We only kneel to Almighty God," Trump remarked, in a clear shot at athletes who kneel in protest during the national anthem. "We will not be intimidated by bad, evil people. It will not happen."

"We only kneel to Almighty God. We will not be intimidated by bad, evil people. It will not happen."
— President Trump

Trump went on to characterize endemic efforts to terminate and humiliate dissent as a form of "totalitarianism" and an "attack on our magnificent liberty" -- and promised that it "will be stopped very quicky."
Hours before he spoke, CNN, echoing The New York Times, derided Mount Rushmore as a monument to slaveholders on stolen native lands. The New York Times' newsroom also sits on land taken from natives; and several CNN reporters previously praised Mount Rushmore as recently as 2016.
“This movement is openly attacking the legacies of every person on Mount Rushmore," Trump said, referring to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.
Trump, who separately praised police officers, also announced plans  to create "a new monument to the giants of our past."
He said he would sign an executive order to establish a national garden of American heroes -- a "vast outdoor park" to feature the statues of the "greatest Americans to ever live"
"From this night, and from this magnificent place, let us go forward united in our purpose and rededicated in our resolve. We will raise the next generation of American patriots."
After Trump spoke, the White House released text of an executive order establishing the garden, which expressly notes that it will include only lifelike representations and eschew "modernist or abstract interpretations."
A preliminary list of people to be honored in the garden includes John Adams, Susan B. Anthony, Henry Clay, Davy Crockett, MLK, Amelia Earhart, Benjamin Franklin, Ronald Reagan, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Antonin Scalia, Orville and Wilbur Wright, Douglas MacArthur, George Patton, Jackie Robinson, Christopher Columbus, Junipero Serra, and Betsy Ross.
Trump's comments followed a series of protests and riots across the country that led to the destruction of numerous monuments, as well as the terminations of high-level academics and policy experts simply for challenging Black Lives Matter's push to defund all police departments.
"They want to silence us," Trump said, as cheers of "U-S-A!" broke out. "But we will not be silenced. ... We want free and open debate, not cancel culture. ... Their goal is not a better America. Their goal is to end America. ... But just as in centuries past, the American people will stand in their way."

"Their goal is not a better America. Their goal is to end America. ... But just as in centuries past, the American people will stand in their way."
— President Trump

Trump specifically praised the FBI's recent arrest of the "ringleader" of several statue attacks, as well as his executive order to increase punishments for those who deface monuments.
'"Tonight, as we meet here tonight, there is a growing danger that threatens every blessing our ancestors fought so hard for, struggled, and bled to secure," Trump said, warning of a concerted attempt to "wipe out our history" and "indoctrinate our children."
That was an apparent reference to public schools' decision to teach false information from The New York Times' "1619 Project." The author of that project has acknowledged her own anti-white racism, and core claims of the project have been debunked by historians.
"They think the American people are weak and soft and submissive," the president continued, to applause, "But no, the American people are strong and proud. And they will not allow our country and its values and history and culture to be taken from them."
"Those who seek to erase our heritage want Americans to forget our pride and our great dignity, so that we can no longer understand ourselves or America’s destiny,” Trump said.
It is time, Trump said, for American politicians to summon "bravery" to confront the moment.

President Donald Trump watches as planes perform fly-overs of the Mount Rushmore National Monument Friday, July 3, 2020, in Keystone, S.D. (Associated Press)

"For the sake of our honor, for the sake of our children, for the sake of our children, we must protect and preserve our history, our heritage and our great heroes," he continued."
The small town of Keystone, which lies a couple of miles from the monument, was buzzing with people Friday hoping to catch a glimpse of the fireworks and the president. Many wore pro-Trump T-shirts and hats. Few wore masks.
“This is going to rank up in the top Fourth of Julys that I talk about,” said Mike Stewhr, who brought his family from Nebraska.
The event drew thousands of spectators, most of them without masks, even as coronavirus cases spiked across the country. The president spoke before a big fireworks show, the first to be held at the site in more than a decade.
Hours before Trump arrived, protesters blocked a road leading to the monument. Authorities worked to move the demonstrators, mostly Native Americans protesting that South Dakota's Black Hills were taken from the Lakota people against treaty agreements. About 15 protesters were arrested after missing a police-imposed deadline to leave.

President Donald Trump speaks at Mount Rushmore National Monument Friday, July 3, 2020, in Keystone, S.D. (Associated Press)

Trump received a South Dakota show of support, with the state Republican Party selling T-shirts that feature Trump on the memorial alongside George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.
But concern about the coronavirus risk and wildfire danger from the fireworks, along with the Native American groups' protests were also present.
Republican Gov. Kristi Noem, a Trump ally, had said social distancing won't be required during the event and masks will be optional. Event organizers were to provide masks to anyone who wanted them and planned to screen attendees for symptoms of COVID-19.
In his speech, Trump largely steered clear of references to coronavirus, instead focusing on the nation's history -- and its lessons for the present.
"We will never surrender the spirit and the courage, and the cause of July 4, 1776," he said. "Upon this ground we will stand firm and unwavering."
Fox News' John Roberts and The Associated Press contributed to this report.