Speaking underneath the famed landmark depicting four US presidents, Trump warned that the demonstrations over racial inequality threatened the foundations of the US political system.
US President Donald Trump is seen in front of Mt. Rushmore as he and first lady Melania Trump attend South Dakota's Independence Day fireworks celebrations at Mt. Rushmore in Keystone, South Dakota, US, on July 3 2020.President Donald Trump on Friday accused"angry mobs" of trying to erase history with efforts to remove or rethink monuments to US historical figures and used a speech at Mount Rushmore to paint himself as a bulwark against left-wing extremism.
On a day when seven US states posted a record number of new Covid-19 cases, the pandemic moved further into Trump's inner circle., 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. tested negative, Gor said.
The pre-July 4 holiday event drew 7,500 people, packed into an outdoor amphitheatre. Many did not wear masks, defying the advice of health officials who have urged Americans to avoid large gatherings to slow the spread of Covid-19. "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."
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 leaders, including Confederate generals who led a rebellion against the US government during the 1861-65 US civil war.
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