President Donald Trump traveled to North Dakota on Wednesday to tour the brand new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library ahead of its grand opening on Independence Day.
The event, organized by Freedom 250, showcased the $450 million project, which was boosted by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, a former North Dakota governor.
The president’s trip to North Dakota began with his arrival on a ceremonial Freedom 250 train, paying tribute to the railroad industry that played an essential role in the American West’s development and growth.
Upon arrival, Trump was escorted to the library by Rough Rider impersonators, evoking Roosevelt’s legendary cavalry regiment.
The president then toured the new 96,000-square-foot library and delivered remarks at the Burning Hills Amphitheater afterward.
Trump praised Roosevelt during the remarks, calling him a “true American hero.”
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“Today we come to the heartland of America to pay tribute to a man who embodied the heart and soul and fight and spirit of our country as much as anyone who ever lived, and he’s a very special man, and that’s why I’m here,” Trump said.
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President Donald Trump speaks at Burning Hills Amphitheatre during the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library opening ceremony, Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in Medora, N.D. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) -
President Donald Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum cut a ribbon, as Britt Slabinski, president of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, during a ceremony presenting Theodore Roosevelt’s Medal of Honor that was in the Roosevelt Room at the White House House, to be kept on display at the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, in Medora, N.D., Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) -
President Donald Trump tours the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in Medora, N.D. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) -
MEDORA, NORTH DAKOTA – JULY 01: U.S. President Donald Trump rides a Freedom250-themed train en route to a dedication ceremony for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library on July 01, 2026 in Medora, North Dakota. Amtrak unveiled the NextGen Acela train featuring the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Freedom 250 campaign to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) -
Rough Riders reenactors, portraying the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, ride horses ahead of US President Donald Trump’s motorcade after President Trump arrived on the “Freedom250 train” on his way to attend the grand opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota, July 1, 2026. . (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images) -
MEDORA, NORTH DAKOTA – JULY 01: U.S. President Donald Trump greets onlookers after arriving in a Freedom250-themed train ahead of a dedication ceremony for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library on July 01, 2026 in Medora, North Dakota. Amtrak unveiled the NextGen Acela train featuring the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Freedom 250 campaign to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) -
MEDORA, NORTH DAKOTA – JULY 01: U.S. President Donald Trump greets onlookers after arriving in a Freedom250-themed train ahead of a dedication ceremony for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library on July 01, 2026 in Medora, North Dakota. Amtrak unveiled the NextGen Acela train featuring the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Freedom 250 campaign to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) -
MEDORA, NORTH DAKOTA – JULY 01: U.S. President Donald Trump greets onlookers after arriving in a Freedom250-themed train ahead of a dedication ceremony for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library on July 01, 2026 in Medora, North Dakota. Amtrak unveiled the NextGen Acela train featuring the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Freedom 250 campaign to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) -
US President Donald Trump rides the “Freedom250 train” on his way to attend the grand opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota, July 1, 2026. . (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images) -
The Freedom 250 train, with President Donald Trump aboard, arrives at the grand opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in Medora, N.D. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)