Donald Trump is golfing ahead of his trip to South Dakota tonight for the Mount Rushmore 2020 Fireworks Celebration. The first lady will also attend the controversial event. As the coronavirus cases soar across the south and west of the nation, the president bragged about the Nasdaq having its 23rd record close of the year in an unhinged-looking all caps tweet.
Earlier on Twitter Trump argued that Black Lives Matter protesters angered by the police killing of George Floyd would have wiped out the city of Minneapolis had he not sent in the National Guard to stop the demonstrations, also picking fights with CNN anchor Chris Cuomo and Dr Anthony Fauci as he seeks to distract from the resurgent coronavirus.
Dr Fauci warned on Thursday that the US is “not going in the right direction” after the country reported 55,000 new cases of Covid-19 in a day, beating the world record for a daily rise set by Brazil on 19 June. The states of Arizona, California, Florida and Texas alone accounted for 25,000 of that total as assistant health secretary Brett Giroir cautioned: “We are not flattening the curve right now. The curve is still going up.”
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Anger as US's largest Confederate memorial to reopen on Independence Day
'It's time for our state to get on the right side of history'Trump's Mount Rushmore speech will slam "left wing mob"
ABC News reports a campaign official saying that tonight's speech at Mount Rushmore will see the president "tell the truth about America's history and he will tell the truth about those trying to tear it down and divide our country".
VoteVets drops savage ad targeting 'Benedict Donald'
VoteVets, the group dedicated to electing veterans into public office to fight for progressive values, released an Independence Day campaign ad this afternoon that did not hold back.
"This July 4th Benedict Arnold can step aside, because Benedict Donald is America's number one traitor."
Trump re-election T-shirts accused of having Nazi-like symbol
Outrage online, but campaign calls accusation 'moronic'The Plot Against America reboot?
Despite the terrible poll numbers mentioned in the previous post, here's some food for thought from former Colorado Senator Tim Wirth.
He lays out a scenario in which Donald Trump remains in office despite losing the election. Apparently inspired in-part by HBO's adaptation of the Phillip Roth novel The Plot Against America, that aired earlier this year.
Graig Graziosi reports. Don't have nightmares.
The worst polling for an incumbent since 1992
The president may be in a celebratory mood with fireworks or the country's 243rd birthday tonight and tomorrow (Mount Rushmore and the National Mall), but his poll numbers make for dismal reading four months out from Election Day.
Our Washington Bureau Chief, John T Bennett, reports below.
Trump heads into Independence Day weekend with worst poll numbers since George HW Bush
'The president's prospects in the Electoral College are dismal,' says one former White House officialLet's flashback to this report from January:
"What can burn? It's stone."
Trump says Mount Rushmore fireworks display planned despite environmental concerns
President falsely stated 'no one knew why' event was cancelled in 2019 despite wildfire threatThere hasn't been a fireworks display at Mount Rushmore in 10 years. Here's why.
Writing in The Washington Poston Wednesday, Cheryl Schreier, the former superintendent of Mount Rushmore from 2010 to 2019, explained why there hasn't been a fireworks display at the national memorial for a decade.
She cites safety concerns, including wildfires started by fireworks, medical emergencies, and extreme weather — all compounded by traffic congestion from visitors. In addition, groundwater is also contaminated by chemicals used in fireworks which could lead to longer term problems.
Wildfires are of particular concern this year due to an extremely dry summer. Similar conditions led to the cancellation of displays in 2002 and 2010.
Adding the potential for a coronavirus super spreader event involving visitors from across the country, she urged the president and governor to reconsider the event.
Her warnings have gone unheeded.
Trump's 'worst nightmare'
Read the latest edition of Polarized, a weekly series featuring Americans from all 50 states sharing their views on the 2020 election.
This week, Chris Riotta talks to a 68-year-old grandfather in North Carolina — registered as an independent, he voted for Donald Trump in 2016. He explains why in 2020, he'll be voting for Joe Biden.
Why this former Trump voter says he's the president's 'worst nightmare' — and is backing Biden in November
'There are a tremendous number of North Carolinians who regret having voted for Trump in 2016'On the topic of White House travel...
Secret Service 'urged' Pence to delay Arizona trip as agents caught coronavirus and cases kept spiking
Vice president delayed trip so sick agents can be swapped with healthy ones as criticism mounts over White House travelFor those keeping score
We may never know what the president's actual golf score is when he plays a round, but according to one tally, he has played golf on 274 days of the 1,261 he has been in office, and visited a Trump property on 369 of those days.
To compare, Barack Obama played golf 333 times in eight years.
On the move
The presidential motorcade has left Trump National Golf Club and is heading back to the White House.
Here's a sneak preview:
The Secretary of the Interior is promising big things for tonight.
South Dakota and Covid-19
Ahead of the president's visit to Mount Rushmore, and the worries about the potential for a large crowd that may not be wearing masks nor practicing effective social distancing, let's take a look at South Dakota's coronavirus story.
With a population just over 880,000 and a density of just over 11.3 people per square mile, the largely rural state didn't see an initial spike in cases until mid-April when 181 cases were recorded in a single day.
Day-to-day case numbers dropped off after that before a second peak on 8-9 May when over 240 cases per day were reported. After a smaller increase in late May, the state has averaged approximately 60 cases per day since the beginning of June.
In total there have been 6,893 confirmed cases of Covid-19, and a total of 97 officially recorded deaths. The majority have been in the vicinity of Sioux Falls, the state's largest city.
The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe has had roadblocks set up since March to stop the spread of coronavirus to their community, despite the threat of legal action from Governor Kristi Noem.
No social distancing or masks required for crowds at Trump's 4th of July Mount Rushmore fireworks
'We're asking them to come... to enjoy the freedoms and the liberties that we have in this country,' South Dakota governor says
A step closer to publication
Trump's niece says gag order was fraudulent ahead of publication of her tell-all book
She claims ‘the conduct and character of my uncle, the sitting president of the United States’ is part of her life storyExpect fireworks later
The literal kind, but maybe brace for others just in case.
The schedule for the remainder of the day is that the president and first lady will depart the White House at 4.45pm for Joint Base Andrews to take Air Force One to Ellsworth Air Force Base outside of Rapid City, South Dakota.
Travelling on to Keystone, South Dakota, the Trumps will head to Mount Rushmore to attend the 2020 Fireworks Celebrations, scheduled for 8pm Mountain Time.
After the fireworks, the president and first lady will return to Washington, DC, arriving back at the White House at approximately 4.30am on Saturday morning.
Trump plays golf ahead of Mount Rushmore celebration even as coronavirus cases hit new record
President heads to South Dakota later for fireworks and an Independence Day speechIt's a federal holiday today, so...
The president is at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia. The in-town pool report states that the motorcade arrived at 9.52am, but the president was not seen.
There's always a small group of both protesters and supporters near the entrance of the club. Today a woman held a sign that read: "Trump is a traitor" and a man gave the motorcade a thumbs up.
The NFL's Washington Redskins announces review of name
Native American groups have long campaigned for a change arguing that both the name of the team and the main logo are racist.
Ben Burrows reports.
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