# Donald Trump — communism "the greatest threat to our country, including World War I, World War II, Pearl Harbor, or even 9-11" > [!quote] "Communism is a mortal threat to American liberty. It is the greatest threat to our country, including World War I, World War II, Pearl Harbor, or even 9-11." > — Donald Trump, remarks at Mount Rushmore, July 3, 2026 ## Context Part of the extended anticommunism passage of the [[Trump Mount Rushmore Speech]]. [[Donald Trump]] ranked a domestic "communist menace" — a frame manufactured after [[Democratic Socialists of America]]-aligned primary wins — above the two world wars, Pearl Harbor, and the September 11 attacks as a threat to the country. ## Why This Matters The line is a textbook example of threat inflation: elevating a political opponent above the deadliest external attacks in U.S. history dissolves the distinction between partisan disagreement and existential war, the permission structure the [[Red Scare]] frame is built to create. Heather Cox Richardson read the escalation — exceeding even McCarthy-era rhetoric (see [[McCarthyism]]) — as a sign of political panic rather than confidence. ## See Also - [[Trump Mount Rushmore Speech]] - [[Donald Trump - communist or patriot cannot be both]] - [[Red Scare]]