OAN Staff Sophia Flores 
1:11 PM – Friday, July 3, 2026

President Donald Trump is set to kick off the nation’s July 4^th celebrations with a high-profile trip to Mount Rushmore.

On Friday, the president will travel to the South Dakota monument to address the nation in honor of its historic 250^th birthday, speaking directly beneath the granite faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.

His historic address —intended to outline “America’s next chapter” while honoring the legacy of the founders— will culminate in a massive firework display over the Black hills.

This marks the first-time fireworks have been permitted at the monument since Trump’s last Independence Day visit in 2020.

While the event will be livestreamed nationwide, the monument itself is closed to the general public for the day. Gates will open at 1:00 PM Mountain Time exclusively for the lucky winners of a massive public ticket lottery, with the official Freedom 250 programming scheduled to begin at 4:00 PM.

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