President Trump is expected to comment at Mount Rushmore on Friday night in a celebration that will include a fireworks display and military air passes to begin the weekend of July 4.
The Friday night event will be hosted by South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem.
NOEM SAYS “WE WILL NOT BE SOCIAL DISTANCES” AT THE TRUMP MOUNT RUSHMORE EVENT
“The President hopes to participate in the Independence Day festivities, organized by Governor Noem, and celebrate the largest country the world has ever known, crowned with a magnificent fireworks display over the great faces of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, “said White House spokesman Judd Deere.
A spokesman for Noem’s office told Fox News that the South Dakota Mount Rushmore fireworks celebration will also include the Blue Angels, the UH-60s from the South Dakota Army National Guard, the F-16s. South Dakota Air National Guard and Ellsworth Air Force Base B-1 Bomber.
Earlier this week, Noem welcomed attendees to the event, but said they are not expected to practice social distancing, even if COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the country.
“We ask that you come, be ready to celebrate, to enjoy the freedoms and liberties that we have in this country,” Noem told Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle”. “But we will not be socially estranged.”
Noem said those with concerns about the event are welcome to “stay home,” adding that the face masks will be distributed to those who “choose to wear one.”
DETAILS OF THE FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATIONS OF DC
Noem said residents who are in conflict over whether to attend the event should “focus on personal responsibility” and make a decision they “feel comfortable with.”
“This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate America’s birthday, come together and have some unity, and really focus on opportunities in the United States,” Noem said in response to the president’s criticism, “and perhaps that’s what they don’t want. talk about.”
Meanwhile, the Trump administration will host the Independence Day celebrations on Saturday in Washington, DC, which will include a “monumental” fireworks display.
However, the Department of the Interior urged viewers to follow the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, including the practice of social distancing, the use of a mask or face covering, and avoidance of public events if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
The agency also said it would supply more than 300,000 fabric face liners and distribute them to visitors attending celebrations on the National Mall. However, the department said the face covers “are not surgical masks or respirators,” and warned that “supplies are limited” and that “visitors should not rely on receiving a mask.”
