President Donald Trump on Friday attacked an “angry mob” trying to tear down the statues of Confederate leaders and other historical figures, warning thousands of supporters in Mount Rushmore that protesters were trying to erase American history.
When seven U.S. states recorded new COVID-19 cases in one day, the epidemic reached Trump's inner circle. Senior campaigner and Donald Trump junior girlfriend Kimberly Gilfoy have tested positive in South Dakota before the event, said Trump campaign official Sergio Gore. Gore said Trump Jr. tested negative.
The event drew 7,500 people, packed tight in the amphitheater. Many did not wear masks in defiance of public health officials' suggestions that Americans should avoid large gatherings to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Speaking below the famous landmark depicting four US presidents, Trump warned that demonstrations on racial inequality in American society threatened the foundations of the American political system.
"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 country," he said.
Trump has announced that he will create the "National Garden of American Heroes", describing it as "the largest public park with statues of the greatest American people who ever lived." He did not provide further details.
After the death of George Floyd, a black man killed in police custody in Minneapolis, nationwide unrest, protesters in several cities broke up statues of Confederate generals leading to revolts against the US government during the Civil War of 1861-65.
At one point, protesters failed to pull a statue of US President Andrew Jackson outside the White House. Jackson, known for his popular policies, had slaves and forced thousands of Native Americans out of their homes.
'An angry mob unleashes a wave of violent crime'
"Angry mobs are trying to tear down the statues of our founders, destroy our sacred monuments, and spread a wave of violent crime in our cities," he said.
Trump has opposed proposals to rename American military bases, named after the Confederate generals, and to impose harsh punishment on those who harm statues.
The evening's program was not an official campaign, and Trump's remarks on major campaign issues were intended to activate his political base before the November 3 election.
"There is new far-left fascism that demands complete obedience. If you do not speak its language, do not follow its customs, recite its charms and follow its dictates, you will be censored, expelled.
Mount Rushmore, starring US Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln, has not been on fire since 2009 due to environmental concerns.
Trump has suggested reopening the show, and the state says the surrounding Black Hills National Forest has since been "reinforced" and that fireworks technology has improved.
According to a live-streamed video on social media, Native American protesters have been arrested for blocking a road in a South Dakota landmark. He criticized Trump's visit to increase the risk of COVID-19 spreading and to celebrate American independence in the Holy See.
South Dakota, a solidly Republican state, has not been hit as badly as other states by Covid-19, but in Pennington County, where Mount Rushmore is located, cases have doubled in the past month.
Trump will hold another celebration in Washington on Saturday for the July 4 holiday.
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