Trump sees bond with ‘great he-man’ Theodore Roosevelt at lavish library opening | Donald Trump
voice YMCA from Village People Exploding into the badlands of North Dakota could mean only one thing: Donald Trump’s 250th anniversary traveling circus had reached a remote corner of America more familiar with bison, wild horses and bighorn sheep.
The US president visited Medora on Wednesday and dedicated a $450 million library and museum in his honor. Theodore RooseveltHe is the 26th president of the region where he roamed as a cowboy and big game hunter in the 1880s.
In what critics saw as his latest effort to masquerade as history’s greats, Trump delivered a speech that drew comparisons to Roosevelt, whose face is carved on Mount Rushmore in neighboring South Dakota, but said little about his predecessor’s environmental legacy.
Even by the casual standards of America250 events so far, Wednesday’s extravaganza was strange. Trump’s trip marked the debut of a refurbished Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar that will serve as Air Force One, featuring a red, white, dark blue and gold color scheme chosen by the president.
Against a dramatic landscape of eroded peaks, deep valleys and layered rocks, Trump later mimicked Roosevelt’s whistling tours making a short trip with flags painted red, white and blue, reading “Liberty,” “Liberty” and “1776-2026.”
As the train stopped at a railroad crossing to the sound of horns and cymbals, a crowd of people stood in the sun for three hours, accompanied by a Roosevelt impersonator, chanting “Go, Trump!” he chanted. and “USA! USA!” Trump, who had previously shown little interest in railroads, landed at the same spot as the 24-year-old Roosevelt 140 years ago.
His motorcade to the library was accompanied by horseback riders dressed as “Rough Riders,” the nickname given to Roosevelt’s military unit. Roosevelt led Cuba’s San Juan Hill During the Spanish-American war in 1898. A large trail of horse manure was left on the road.
Trump toured the new 96,000-square-foot library overlooking the national park named after Roosevelt for his formative years in the Badlands. He visited a room named after former North Dakota governor and interior secretary Doug Burgum and his wife, Kathryn, and We talked with the digitally animated version Roosevelt’s.
Trump later recalled: “I talked to Theodore Roosevelt: ‘What do you think about the Panama Canal? Is that your greatest achievement? What do you think about the Democrats giving the Panama Canal to Panama for a dollar?'”
The president then appeared nearby. Burning Hills Amphitheater against the backdrop of a western stage set normally used for a local musical, complete with ersatz train station, telegraph office, barn, blacksmith, dance hall, apothecary, and Rough Riders Hotel. Standing tall behind him were 25 Rough Riders. A giant white “Medora” sign appeared from the hill above.
Trump gave a meandering speech that lasted hours despite a faulty teleprompter; He never took a sip of water, even while the audience was sweating from the sweltering heat. “I honor Theodore Roosevelt, the man I have long admired,” he said. “I don’t admire a lot of people, I have to say, there aren’t a lot of people out there.”
Trump announced that National Endowment for the Humanities will award the library $750,000 to support its first year. Before unveiling his own presidential library, he praised the art, science and technical prowess on display at the museum: “We’re going to build a museum in Miami — they gave me a lot of ideas.”
Now in his second term, Trump appears increasingly concerned about his legacy and his place in history. He had previously spoken admiringly of Andrew Jackson, Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan; A large portrait of Reagan hangs prominently in the Oval Office. He referenced Abraham Lincoln and Dwight Eisenhower, the last president to ride the train Trump rode on Wednesday.
But the real focus was on Roosevelt, whose presidency was caught halfway between the declaration of independence and the present day. Like Trump, Roosevelt was a privileged New Yorker who was accused of imperialism and warmongering. survive an assassination attempt.
But the differences run deep: Roosevelt, at 42, remains the youngest person to become president; Trump, now 80, was the oldest person ever elected. Roosevelt won the Nobel peace prize; Trump did not do this. Roosevelt, who preached the “strenuous life,” may have taken a dim view of Trump’s diet of McDonald’s and Diet Coke.
Roosevelt, who unsuccessfully sought a third term in the White House, once said: “Patriotism means standing with the country. It doesn’t mean standing with the president.”
Trump told his audience on Wednesday that much of the talk about Air Force One revolved around Roosevelt and his extraordinary adventures. “It had a terribly wild life,” he said. “He didn’t want to be quiet. He wanted to be great.”
He praised Roosevelt as “a great man of men” and a “proud man” and insisted: “I am a proud man, I am proud of our country. I am proud that we have a country that two years ago was a laughing stock all over the world, and now we have the hottest, most respected country anywhere in the world.”
Their son, Don Jr. and the president, watched by Eric, also paid tribute to Roosevelt’s son. Theodore Roosevelt Jr.Medal of Honor recipient for actions during World War II. “His son was brave. It’s genetics, you know. It’s like the racehorse theory. Fast horses.”
The nearby museum records that Roosevelt, who served as president from 1901 to 1909, broke 44 trusts and preserved 230 million acres of land. Trump and Burgum paid little attention to these protections as they sought to roll back protections for wildlife and public lands. Roosevelt’s conservation legacy.
Trump said: “He’s done some incredible things; a lot of people will say the parks; people point to different elements of his success. It’s incredible. But he built the Panama canal.”
It was officially a nonpartisan event, but it featured familiar faces from Trump rallies, like MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, and a familiar soundtrack that included Lee Greenwood. God bless the USAAndrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera and, of course, Village People’s YMCA.
Kathleen Katz, 60, an inventory control specialist at an aircraft manufacturing company, wore a hat titled “Trump: Make America great again in 2024.” “He is the best president we have ever had, his second term is going very well,” he said. “We’ve hit a few bumps in the road, but nothing we can’t handle.”
When asked to compare him to Roosevelt, he said: “I would say they are both very similar: love for our country and for Americans in general.” He insisted that Trump “keep an eye on all the national parks.”
Chris Pawlik, 35, a military veteran who works for a solar energy startup in Austin, Texas, was wearing a T-shirt with an image of Mount Rushmore with Trump’s face on it: “Making history again.”
He said: “Trump is like Teddy Roosevelt. It’s as if big stick politics is about how he sees himself, too. Teddy was a big environmentalist. So am I. I also see the balance between energy and savings. There are a lot of different things like the Keystone pipeline that we can’t go in and change everything in the next decade. To get there, you need to have a longer-term sustainable plan.”
While he was governor of the state in 2019, Burgum supported the Roosevelt library in North Dakota’s Republican-led legislature, which approved a $50 million operating grant. Including private donors oil executive Harold HammThe Waltons of Walmart fame, Kenneth Griffin, founder and chief executive of hedge fund Citadel, and Burgum himself.
Trump’s patriotic activities continue with an event at Mount Rushmore on Friday, followed by a “Salute to America” celebration with a 35-minute fireworks display over the Potomac River on the National Mall in Washington on Saturday. Democrats were not impressed.
Brendan BoyleA congressman whose district includes Independence Hall in Philadelphia said Wednesday: “Donald Trump doesn’t have even a 10th of Teddy Roosevelt’s 1% charisma or courage. They were absolutely night and day on environmental issues. All Trump cares about is running fraud and naming things himself. Trump is a very small figure compared to a great and extraordinary figure like Teddy Roosevelt.”
