Mount Rushmore, South Dakota – President Donald Trump has railed against "angry mobs"
that tried to tear down statues of Confederate leaders and other
historical figures, warning thousands of supporters at Mount
Rushmore that protesters were trying to erase US history.
On a day when seven US states posted a record number of
new COVID-19 cases, the pandemic reached Trump's inner circle.
Kimberly Guilfoyle, a senior campaign official and the
girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr, tested positive in South Dakota
before the event, according to Sergio Gor, a Trump campaign
official. Trump Jr has tested negative, Gor said.
Friday's event drew 7 500 people, packed tightly into an
amphitheatre. Many did not wear masks, defying the advice of
public health officials who have urged Americans to avoid large
gatherings to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Speaking underneath a famed landmark that depicts four US presidents, Trump warned that the demonstrations over racial
inequality in American society threatened the foundations of the
U.S. political system.
"Make no mistake, this left-wing cultural revolution is
designed to overthrow the American revolution," Trump said.
"Our children are taught in school to hate their own
country," he added.
Trump announced that he would create a "National Garden of
American Heroes", which he described as a large outdoor park
featuring statues of "the greatest Americans who ever lived." He
did not provide further details.
In the nationwide unrest following the death of George
Floyd, a black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis,
protesters in several cities have vandalised the statues of
Confederate generals that led a rebellion against the US government during an 1861-65 civil war.
Protesters in one instance unsuccessfully tried to pull down
a statue of US President Andrew Jackson outside the White
House. Jackson, known for his populist policies, owned slaves
and forced thousands of Native Americans from their homes.
"Angry mobs are trying to tear down statues of our founders,
deface our most sacred memorials, and unleash a wave of violent
crime in our cities," he said.
Trump has opposed proposals to rename US military bases
that are named after Confederate generals and vowed harsh
punishment for people who damage statues.
The evening programme was not an official campaign event, but
Trump's remarks touched on key campaign themes meant to energise
his political base ahead of the November 3 election.
"There is a new far-left fascism that demands absolute
allegiance. If you do not speak its language, perform its
rituals, recite its mantras, and follow its commandments then
you will be censored, banished, blacklisted, persecuted and
punished. Not gonna happen to us," he said.
Mount Rushmore, which depicts US presidents George
Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham
Lincoln, has not hosted a fireworks spectacle since 2009 because
of environmental concerns.
Trump advocated for a resumption of the display and the
state says the surrounding Black Hills National Forest has
"gained strength" since then and that fireworks technology has
advanced.
Native American protesters were arrested after blocking a
road to the South Dakota landmark, according to video
livestreamed on social media. They have criticised Trump's visit
for increasing the risk of spreading COVID-19 and for
celebrating US independence in an area that is sacred to them.
South Dakota, a solidly Republican state, has not been hit
as hard as other states by COVID-19, but cases in Pennington
County, where Mount Rushmore is located, have more than doubled
over the past month.
Trump will hold another celebration for the July 4 holiday
on Saturday in Washington.