Mary Hart Under Fire by Fans After She Speaks During Donald Trump's Mount Rushmore July 4th Celebration

Daniel S. Levine

07/04/2020 07:01 pm EDT

Former Entertainment Tonight host Mary Hart surprised many by hosting President Donald Trump's controversial July 4th celebration at Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota Friday night. Hart, who was born in the state, was widely criticized for attending the event, and also shocked many by using a white power symbol during her speech introducing Trump. Even celebrities like Jane Lynch and Judd Apatow spoke out against Hart's appearance.

Trump's speech was given amid the coronavirus pandemic and included a brief message to the "wonderful veterans, law enforcement, first responders, and the doctors, nurses, and scientists working tirelessly to kill the virus." His audience ignored social distancing guidelines and it appeared that very few people wore masks. Instead, his speech focused on calling out "new far-left fascism that demands absolute allegiance" and the destruction of statues. He claimed there is a "left-wing cultural revolution is designed to overthrow the American Revolution," and they want to "tear down every statue, symbol, and memory of our national heritage."

The president also announced the creation of a "National Garden of American Heroes," which he plans to establish through an executive order. "My Administration will not abide an assault on our collective national memory," Trump's executive order reads, reports CBS News. "In the face of such acts of destruction, it is our responsibility as Americans to stand strong against this violence, and to peacefully transmit our great national story to future generations through newly commissioned monuments to American heroes." The plan is to have the garden open to the public by July 4, 2026.

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The one part of Hart's appearance that attracted the most attention came when she used the OK symbol with both hands before introducing the president. The gesture is recognized by the Anti-Defamation League as a "racist" hand sign, although noting that it usually is harmless in most contexts. However, it took on a different meaning starting in 2017 thanks to 4chan users who claimed the sign was actually a "W" and "P" for "white power." Although this started as a hoax, some white supremacists began using it themselves, leading to some people being falsely accused of being white supremacists while meaning to use it in a harmless way.

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Hart also has a family connection to the White House. Her son, Alec "AJ" Sugarman is a special assistant to the president for legislative affairs, according to his LinkedIn page. Sugarman came to the White House through former interim Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, working for him when Mulvaney still led the Office of Management and Budget, notes Politico. In 2015 and 2016, Sugarman worked for Sen. Marco Rubio's presidential campaign a s a research analyst.

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