Trump delivers Andrew Sullivan’s magnificent speech against cancel culture at Mt. Rushmore

Like Pericles’ funeral oration, it’s hard to pick the best parts, but that’s what y’all pay for, so I’ll do my best:

1776 represented the culmination of thousands of years of Western civilization and the triumph of not only spirit, but of wisdom, philosophy, and reason. And yet, as we meet here tonight, there is a growing danger that threatens every blessing our ancestors fought so hard for, struggled, they bled to secure. Our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children. Angry mobs are trying to tear down statues of our founders, deface our most sacred memorials, and unleash a wave of violent crime in our cities. Many of these people have no idea why they’re doing this, but some know what they are doing. They think the American people are weak and soft and submissive, but no, the American people are strong and proud and they will not allow our country and all of its values, history, and culture to be taken from them.

Yeah, we’re going to party like it’s 1991!

We want free and open debate, not speech codes and cancel culture. We embrace tolerance, not prejudice. We support the courageous men and women of law enforcement. We will never abolish our police or our great Second Amendment which gives us the right to keep and bear arms. We believe that our children should be taught to love their country, honor their history, and respect our great American flag. We stand tall, we stand proud, and we only kneel to Almighty God. This is who we are. This is what we believe and these are the values that will guide us as we strive to build an even better and greater future. 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. In toppling the heroes of 1776, they seek to dissolve the bonds of love and loyalty that we feel for our country and that we feel for each other. Their goal is not a better America, their goal is to end America . . .

This attack on our liberty, our magnificent liberty must be stopped and it will be stopped very quickly. We will expose this dangerous movement, protect our nation’s children from this radical assault, and preserve our beloved American way of life. In our schools, our newsrooms, even our corporate boardrooms, there is a new far-left fascism that demands absolute allegiance. If you do not speak its language, perform its rituals, recite its mantras, and follow its commandments, then you will be censored, banished, blacklisted, persecuted, and punished. It’s not going to happen to us.

My favorite bit:

We are the culture that put up the Hoover Dam, laid down the highways, and sculpted the skyline of Manhattan. We are the people who dreamed the spectacular dream, it was called Las Vegas in the Nevada desert . . .

Hyman Roth:

There was this kid I grew up with — he was younger than me. Sorta looked up to me — you know. We did our first work together — worked our way out of the street. Things were good, we made the most of it. During Prohibition — we ran molasses into Canada — made a fortune — you father, too. As much as anyone, I loved him — and trusted him. Later on he had an idea — to build a city out of a desert stop-over for GI’s on the way to the West Coast. That kid’s name was Moe Green — and the city he invented was Las Vegas. This was a great man — a man of vision and guts. And there isn’t even a plaque — or a signpost — or a statue of him in that town! Someone put a bullet through his eye. No one knows who gave the order — when I heard it, I wasn’t angry; I knew Moe — I knew he was head-strong, talking loud, saying stupid things. So when he turned up dead — I let it go. And I said to myself, this is the business we’ve chosen — I didn’t ask who gave the order — because it had nothing to do with business!