MEDORA, N.D. — Thousands of people from across North Dakota and around the country gathered in Medora on Wednesday, July 1, for President Donald Trump’s visit celebrating America’s upcoming 250th anniversary and the dedication of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library.

Under hot summer skies, the normally quiet western North Dakota town transformed into a tightly-secured venue filled with patriotic displays, music and enthusiastic crowds. Attendees lined the route waving American flags and holding signs reading “We Love USA” and “We Love Trump” as Trump arrived aboard the BNSF Freedom 250 train, a ceremonial tribute to the state’s railroad heritage and the Freedom 250 celebration.

Many in the crowd wore red, white and blue clothing, “Make America Great Again” hats and other patriotic attire. Security was highly visible throughout the event, with law enforcement officers, emergency responders and medical personnel stationed across the venue. Snipers were positioned on nearby buttes and along the rail corridor while ambulances and emergency crews, including Billings County Ambulance and Ringdahl EMS, remained on standby.

Trump was accompanied by his sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr.; Donald Trump Jr.’s partner, Bettina Anderson; and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Following his arrival, he was escorted by a mounted Rough Rider reenactment group as he made his way from the train to the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library.

Inside the packed Burning Hills Amphitheater, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum introduced the president before Trump walked onto the stage to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.”

Dorvall Bedford / The Dickinson Press

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During remarks lasting more than an hour, Trump spoke about Theodore Roosevelt’s legacy, American values, law enforcement, the Panama Canal and challenges facing the nation. He also announced $750,000 in support for the presidential library and joked with the audience after technical issues with the teleprompters prompted him to speak without prepared remarks.

Trump concluded his speech by thanking North Dakotans, describing the state as beautiful and ending with his signature dance to “YMCA.”

For many attendees, however, the day was about more than the speech itself. They described the event as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness a presidential visit to one of North Dakota’s most recognizable destinations.

Eli Waddington, one of the Rough Rider reenactors who led the mounted presidential procession, said participating in the event was among the greatest honors of his life.

“It’s a great honor, one of the greatest honors we’ve ever been presented with,” Waddington said. “We’re representing the men that have fought and died for this country over the years to make America what it is, and we’re bringing our president and his people to the top of the hill to dedicate the library to one of the best presidents that ever lived, Teddy Roosevelt.”

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Fellow Rough Rider reenactor Jayson Wayne Jones said months of planning, practices and security screenings preceded the event. Only 20 mounted riders were selected to escort the president.

“This is probably the largest honor I’ve ever been involved in,” Jones said. “There was a lot of back and forth, a lot of figuring out. We’ve gone through multiple practices and screenings.”

Among those attending were Dickinson High School seniors Ava Hauck, founder and CEO of the artificial intelligence biotechnology startup Clinivue, and Callie Bowden, the company’s marketing specialist. The pair documented the day’s events while taking in the historic occasion.

Bowden said the scale of the security and road closures was unlike anything she had previously experienced in Medora.

Dorvall Bedford / The Dickinson Press

“We’ve never had Medora blocked off before, so it’s really different,” she said.

Hauck said the visit brought rare national attention to western North Dakota.

“It’s just exciting because we don’t really get a lot of attention in North Dakota,” Hauck said. “It’s really good to see all the excitement brought to Medora.”

For Daniel Gannarelli, chief revenue officer of the Medora Foundation, the event represented a milestone not only for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library but also for the town itself.

“The last time a president was in Medora was when Teddy Roosevelt was here,” Gannarelli said. “To have a sitting president choose us during the Fourth of July week and the 250th anniversary of the country, when he could literally be anywhere in the world, is quite impressive.”

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Gannarelli said he hopes future presidents from both political parties will continue to visit Medora, emphasizing the community’s desire to welcome people regardless of political affiliation.

“Where the American experiment is actually happening — left and right, all divides of the spectrum, all politically different people can come here to enjoy this,” he said. “I hope we have Obama. I hope we have Bush. Medora is for everyone.”

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Ohio is shaping up to be a top battleground state this year, and MS NOW’s election team now characterizes its Senate race as a Toss Up.

We are updating the race based primarily on multiple high-quality polls showing a very tight contest, as well as the candidates running and the broader political environment.

The contest is technically a special election to fill out the remainder of Vice President JD Vance’s term. Republican Jon Husted, who was appointed to the seat after Vance took office in 2025, is running to defend it for the first time.

The candidates and structural forces

While Ohio is still often thought of as a bellwether state, it has voted reliably Republican in recent presidential elections. The state has shifted to the right during President Donald Trump’s political rise, backing him in all three of his presidential campaigns.

Ohio’s last few Senate races, however, have been more competitive. Vance won by six points in 2022, while Republican Bernie Moreno beat Democrat Sherrod Brown by less than four points in 2024, narrowly ousting Brown from office after he served three terms in the Senate.

Brown’s showing two years ago is more impressive than it might seem at first blush. A relatively well-liked senator with working-class appeal, he was likely dragged down by his party’s brand. He came close to hanging onto his seat in an unfavorable environment for Democrats. That four-point loss meant he ran ahead of Kamala Harris, who lost to Trump by 11 points.

And 2026 looks to be a much better environment for Democrats.

Trump’s approval rating and the GOP’s favorability ratings are underwater amid an unpopular war and widespread economic dissatisfaction. Brown is running again, and polls indicate he has a real shot at flipping the seat.

The polls

No single poll should be viewed as definitive, but a clear pattern has emerged in recent weeks. A Fox News poll made waves four weeks ago, showing Brown with a lead outside the poll’s margin of sampling error. Since then, two more high-quality polls have shown a very competitive race: one commissioned by AARP and fielded by a bipartisan team of pollsters, and the other released this week by the New York Times and Siena College. Both show a three-point race, which is well within the margin of error, and they differ on which candidate is ahead. This is what polling in a true toss-up race looks like.

BADLANDS, S.D (KELO)– Cars and campers full of visitors are visiting Badlands National Park today. Tourists are traveling from other states to be in South Dakota for America’s 250th.

“I mean, it’s the kind of thing that you build a road trip for,” said William Retherford, who traveled from Indiana with his family.

For the out-of-state travelers, the beauty of the Badlands can be surprising.

“You picture South Dakota, you think flatland and grass,” said Michael Balafas, who traveled to SD from Idaho. “There are some pockets of South Dakota that are absolutely stunning.”

“It’s hard to even believe that it exists,” said Retherford.

Both families are also enjoying other sites during their trips to western South Dakota.

“What my mom says a lot of the time is, it’s not about the destination but the journey,” said Aralyn Balafas.

Retherford and his family had hoped to be at Mount Rushmore for Friday’s fireworks show.

“We entered eight different ways but didn’t get any tickets,” said Retherford.

Despite not being at the landmark for the show, the trip is well worth it for the country’s 250th.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I mean, we’ll never get to do that again,” said Michael.

“This is the kind of trip that you wait a lifetime for,” said Retherford.