Yahoo Finance Trump's July Fourth event descends into chaos before it begins
President Donald Trump has delivered a fiery July Fourth speech including denunciations of protesters he says are trying to “tear down” the nation’s history.
He added the condemnation of those who pull down statues to a big fireworks show and his more traditional July Fourth praise of America’s past and values.
Protesters blocked a road leading to Mount Rushmore, in the Black Hills region of South Dakota, where Trump arrived to address the nation on Friday (local time).
He zeroed in on the desecration by some protesters of monuments and statues across the country that honour those who have benefited from slavery, including some past presidents.
"This movement is openly attacking the legacies of every person on Mount Rushmore," Trump said.
He lamented "cancel culture" and charged that some on the political left hope to "defame our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children."
He said Americans should speak proudly of their heritage and shouldn't have to apologise for its history.
"We will not be terrorised, we will not be demeaned, and we will not be intimidated by bad, evil people," Trump added. "It will not happen."
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.
Some were hit with tear gas by armed police outside the celebrations after trying to restrict entry to the event.
The president was to preside over a fireworks display at an event expected to draw thousands, even as coronavirus cases spike across the country.
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 Governor Kristi Noem, a Trump ally, has said social distancing was not required during the event and masks are optional.
Event organisers were to provide masks to anyone who wanted them and planned to screen attendees for symptoms of COVID-19.
Noem and Senator John Thune, R-S.D, were among the crowd meeting the president and first lady Melania Trump at Ellsworth Air Force Base.
Noem wasn’t wearing a mask; Thune removed his face covering as he waited to greet the president.
The Republican mayor of the largest city near the monument, Rapid City, said he would be watching for an increase in cases after the event, the Rapid City Journal reported.
Enthusiastic attendees were unlikely to disqualify themselves “because they developed a cough the day of or the day before,” Mayor Steve Allender said.
The small town of Keystone, which lies a couple of miles from the monument, was buzzing with people Friday hoping to catch a glimpse of the fireworks and the president. Many wore pro-Trump T-shirts and hats. Few wore masks.
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“This is going to rank up in the top Fourth of Julys that I talk about,” said Mike Stewhr, who brought his family from Nebraska.
Mike Harris of Rapid City, who said he was a Republican, wore a mask and waved an anti-Trump flag. He also was sporting a handgun on each hip. He said he was worried the event would spark a COVID-19 outbreak.
“I think it’s a bad example being set by our president and our governor,” Harris said.
Robin Pladsen, director of the Keystone Chamber of Commerce, handed out face masks and hand sanitiser from a tent. She said the tourist influx would help businesses pay back loans they had taken out to survive the economic downtown but acknowledged the health risk for the town.
Leaders of several Native American tribes in the region also raised concerns that the event could lead to virus outbreaks among their members, who they say are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 because of an underfunded health care system and chronic health conditions.
“The president is putting our tribal members at risk to stage a photo op at one of our most sacred sites,” said Harold Frazier, chairman of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.
Some Native American groups used Trump’s visit to protest the Mount Rushmore memorial itself, pointing out that the Black Hills were taken from the Lakota people.
More than 100 protesters, many Lakota, lined the road leading from Keystone to the monument holding signs and playing Lakota music in 95-degree heat.
Some held their fists in the air as cars loaded with event attendees passed by. Others held signs that read “Protect SoDak’s First People,” “You Are On Stolen Land” and “Dismantle White Supremacy.”
“The president needs to open his eyes. We’re people, too, and it was our land first,” Hehakaho Waste, a spiritual elder with the Oglala Sioux tribe, said.
Several people who once oversaw fire danger at the national memorial have said setting off fireworks over the forest was a bad idea that could lead to a large wildfire. Fireworks were called off after 2009 because a mountain pine beetle infestation increased the fire risks.
Noem pushed to get the fireworks resumed soon after she was elected, and enlisted Trump’s help. The president brushed aside fire concerns earlier this year, saying, “What can burn? It’s stone.”
Trump made no mention of the fire danger in the lead up to the event.
“They used to do it many years ago, and for some reason they were unable or unallowed to do it,” he said.
“They just weren’t allowed to do it, and I opened it up and we’re going to have a tremendous July 3 and then we’re coming back here, celebrating the Fourth of July in Washington, DC.”
Trump has presided over a several large-crowd events — in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and at an Arizona megachurch — even as health officials warn against large gatherings and recommend face masks and social distancing.
He will also hold a separate celebration on the National Mall in Washington on Saturday (local time) despite health concerns from DC’s mayor.
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