MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL, S. D. (AP) — President Donald Trump plans to say in a fiery speech at Mount Rushmore on Friday night that protesters have waged “a merciless campaign to…
By STEPHEN GROVES and DARLENE SUPERVILLE
MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL, S. D. (AP) — President Donald Trump plans to say in a fiery speech at Mount Rushmore on Friday night that protesters have waged “a merciless campaign to wipe out our history” amid demonstrations against racial injustice and police brutality.
The sharp rebuke in a holiday address to mark the nation’s independence follows weeks of protests across the nation, sparked by the Memorial Day killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis. Some demonstrators have also destroyed or damaged Confederate monuments and statues honoring those who have benefited from slavery.
“This movement is openly attacking the legacies of every person on Mount Rushmore,” Trump will say, according to excerpts of his speech released by the White House. He will also add that some on the political left hope to “defame our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children.”
The event drew thousands of spectators, most of them without masks, even as coronavirus cases spike across the country. The president was set to speak before a big fireworks show, the first to be held at the site in over a decade.
Hours before Trump arrived, protesters blocked a road leading to the monument. Authorities worked to move the demonstrators, mostly Native Americans protesting that South Dakota’s Black Hills were taken from the Lakota people against treaty agreements. About 15 protesters were arrested after missing a police-imposed deadline to leave.
Trump was expecting a South Dakota show of support, with the state Republican Party selling T-shirts that feature Trump on the memorial alongside George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. But concern about the coronavirus risk and wildfire danger from the fireworks, along with the Native American groups’ protests were also present.
Republican Gov.
