Trump sees bond with ‘great he-man’ Theodore Roosevelt at lavish library opening

Summary

Bizarre 250th spectacle in North Dakota sees Trump take ride on red, white and blue train – and speak with hologram of 26th president The sound of YMCA by the Village People booming through the badlands of North Dakota could only mean one thing: Donald Trump’s 250th anniversary travelling circus had reached a remote corner of America more familiar with bison, wild horses and bighorn sheep. The US president visited Medora on Wednesday to dedicate a $450m library and museum honouring Theodore Roosevelt , the 26th president, in the region where he roamed as a cowboy and big-game hunter in the 1880s. In what critics saw as his latest effort to cloak himself in the mantle of great men of history, Trump delivered a speech that drew comparisons with Roosevelt, whose face is carved into Mount Rushmore in neighbouring South Dakota, but notably said little about his predecessor’s environmental legacy. Even by the haphazard standards of the America250 events so far, Wednesday’s extravaganza was bizarre. 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 paint scheme selected by the president. Against a dramatic landscape of eroded hills, deep ravines and layered rock, Trump then emulated Roosevelt’s whistle-stop tours by taking a short journey on a train painted red, white and blue with bunting and the words “Freedom”, “Liberty” and “1776-2026”. The train halted at a railroad crossing with horn blasting and bell ringing as a crowd, who had waited in the sun for three hours in the company of a Roosevelt impersonator, chanted “Go, Trump!” and “USA! USA!” Trump, who has previously shown little interest in railways, disembarked at the same spot as the 24-year-old Roosevelt more than 140 years before. Chris Pawlik, 35, an army veteran who works for a solar energy startup in Austin, Texas, was wearing a t-shirt with an image of Mount Rushmore doctored to include Trump’s face above the words: “Making history again.” He said: “Trump is similar to Teddy Roosevelt. It’s like the big stick policy is how he sees himself as well.