The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota is off to a fabulous start. It’s a spectacular facility. Here’s hoping it’s a huge success.
What was not a huge success was Donald Trump’s speech to open the library. Yes, Trump rightfully heaped a lot of praise on Roosevelt, although Roosevelt’s enormous accomplishments towards conservation were mostly overlooked. However, Trump’s rambling speech had too many falsehoods to keep up with.
MEDORA, NORTH DAKOTA – JULY 01: Donald Trump speaks during the Inaugural Events Of The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library on July 01, 2026 in Medora, North Dakota. (Photo by Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library)
Fortunately, your intrepid columnist is here to fact-check.
Trump said he had a conversation with Roosevelt. That would have been difficult, since Roosevelt died in 1919 and Trump was born in 1946. Perhaps Trump thought the AI generated image of Roosevelt was really him.
Trump said most people didn’t realize former President Dwight Eisenhower was a general. Hard to believe. Eisenhower wasn’t just any general. He was the Supreme Commander of the Allies in Europe in World War II. The one who ordered the D-Day invasion of Normandy. If most people didn’t know Eisenhower was a general, they probably never heard of World War II.
Trump said workers from the United States built the Panama Canal (under Roosevelt) and 38,000 of them died. Actually, about 25,000 to 30,000 workers died. More importantly, the vast majority of the workers came from the West Indies, Europe and Asia, and they accounted for almost all of the deaths.
Trump said his big UFC fights at the White House were broadcast on CBS. Actually, CBS did not televise the fights. They were on the streaming platform of Paramount Plus.
Trump said former Presidents Obama and Biden deliberately put algae in Washington’s Reflecting Pool. Oh, please.
Trump said he inherited the worst inflation of any U.S. president in history. Actually, when Trump took office for the second time, inflation was 3%. Now, under Trump, it’s 3.5%. The highest inherited inflation in history from one president to another was 11.7% when Ronald Reagan took over from Jimmy Carter.
When Trump flew to North Dakota, it was the first use of the new Air Force One. This plane was a gift from Qatar, and cost a whopping $400 million in taxpayer dollars to refurbish.
However, this plane should never have been accepted. It is an obvious violation of the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause. Article 1, Section 9 of the Constitution clearly states that the president and other government officials cannot accept any gift from a foreign country without the consent of Congress.
Trump boards Air Force One in ND
Well, Congress has not given any such consent. Perhaps self-proclaimed Constitutional scholar Senator Kevin Cramer should be asked about this, along with Senator John Hoeven, Representative Julie Fedorchak and Representative Michelle Fischbach.
To make matters worse, the new plane lacks the defensive countermeasures of the previous Air Force One. So, the new plane had to be temporarily replaced.
In fact, that plane is now being taken out of service. So, not only was that plane illegal, but it was a total waste of $400 million in taxpayer dollars.
And now, the Trump Administration is outrageously investigating the New York Times reporters who broke that story. This is a very disturbing attack against the First Amendment and freedom of the press.
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