Trump’s Rushmore speech deepens US split as Puerto Ricans plan independence march
On July 3, 2026, former US President Donald Trump delivered a fiery address at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota on the eve of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Speaking before the 60‑foot carvings of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt, Trump denounced what he called a rising communist menace, warned that opponents must be defeated, and proclaimed that America would never become a communist country. He also claimed that losing the midterms would be self‑inflicted.
The speech drew sharp criticism. Former President Bill Clinton said the US faces deep division, accusing the Trump administration of launching unconstitutional wars and deploying masked agents to seize people. Historian Hasan Kwame Jeffries of Ohio State University argued that the Declaration never liberated all Americans, noting that indigenous peoples lost their lands to white settlers. Indigenous leader Leonard Peltier, released from prison in 2025, said celebrating 250 years of independence is meaningless without an apology for past injustices.
Meanwhile, African American groups held protest rallies demanding equality, and Puerto Rican communities declared July 18, 2026 as ‘Puerto Rican Day’ to march for independence in San Juan, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Florida and Cleveland. Leader Edwin Cortes, who served time for seditious conspiracy, said if George Washington were alive today he would be guilty of sedition.
For Nigerians, the episode underscores how historical symbols and nationalist rhetoric can deepen societal splits, echoing local debates over colonial monuments and self‑determination claims. What lessons can Nigeria draw from the US struggle over its founding symbols and the push for autonomy elsewhere?