President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One, Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
MEDORA, N.D. (TNND) — President Donald Trump departed for the Midwest on Wednesday aboard the new Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar to visit the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library ahead of its opening on America's 250th birthday.
Before leaving Washington, Trump told reporters he was proud of the luxurious aircraft.
"You can do two things: You can low-key it, or you can show it," he said.
The $400 million gift from Qatar has drawn ethical scrutiny, but Trump has defended accepting the aircraft, arguing it is a necessary replacement for the aging presidential fleet, whose Boeing 747s have been in service for more than 35 years.
Trump's visit to Medora, North Dakota, will include boarding the Freedom250 train for a welcome ceremony, a signing at the library, and taking part in its official dedication. According to executive director Robbie Lauf, Trump will be the library's first official visitor.
The president will also speak at a nearby Western-themed amphitheater during an event hosted by Freedom250, the Trump-created organization overseeing many of the celebrations leading up to the nation's 250th anniversary.
On Friday, Trump is scheduled to travel to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota for an Independence Day fireworks celebration, returning to the monument after hosting a similar event there in 2020.
The visit reflects Trump's long-standing admiration for Theodore Roosevelt, whom he has frequently praised and compared himself to. Early in his second term, Trump invoked Roosevelt's legacy while promoting U.S. control of the Panama Canal, later suggesting the United States should seek to reclaim the waterway to counter China's influence. Those remarks were later eclipsed by his proposals that the U.S. acquire Greenland and that Canada become the nation's 51st state.
Trump has also referenced Roosevelt while discussing plans to host a UFC fight on the White House lawn for his 80th birthday, noting that Roosevelt held boxing matches at the White House.
The trip also highlights Trump's close relationship with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who has become one of the administration's leading advocates for the president's renovation and preservation projects.
As North Dakota governor, Burgum championed construction of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, helping secure a $50 million state endowment in 2019 after lawmakers required organizers to raise $100 million in private donations. That fundraising goal was met the following year, and total donations have since grown to about $354 million.
Major donors include oil executive Harold Hamm, the Walton family, Citadel founder and CEO Kenneth Griffin, and Burgum himself.
The library will showcase Roosevelt's conservation legacy and leadership of the Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War, while also addressing the more controversial aspects of his record, including what Lauf described as Roosevelt's "horrific comments" about Native Americans and other views "that have obviously aged poorly."
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