President Donald Trump is still on schedule to visit South Dakota for a fireworks ceremony on July 3 as part of a campaign rally. All of this comes as the coronavirus continues to increase in more than half of the states. While places like Florida, Arizona and California are among the handful of states peeling back on its reopening phases, South Dakota remains relatively low on the states impacted with 48 cases reported on Tuesday and 6,744 total cases since the pandemic began.
Gov. Kristi Noem shared some insight on what the event would look like, forgoing everything that has been laid out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Noem reports that “we won’t be social distancing” at the fireworks ceremony while appearing on The Ingraham Angle on Monday. She said that those attending would be asked to “enjoy the freedoms and the liberties that we have this country,” while keeping six feet apart will not be enforced and neither will be face masks. Coverings will be provided but only for those who want to wear it as there will be no mandate.
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The men on Mt. Rushmore helped make America the greatest country in history. They weren’t perfect; nobody is. But we should learn from their example and work together to accomplish their dreams for our country. pic.twitter.com/MPBkTT8tYn
— Governor Kristi Noem (@govkristinoem) June 24, 2020
Noem went on to say that anyone who is concerned does not have to come and should “stay home.” This event will be the first time that fireworks are seen over Mount Rushmore since 2009. Trump has persisted in getting the tradition back, announcing in May of 2019 that the ceremony would be returning to “beautiful Mount Rushmore.” Tickets for the event were distributed in a lottery system online with 7,500 total despite approximately 25,000 showing interest, according to the Argus Leader. The show will last 18 minutes.
In bringing the event back, Noem added that there is “no better place” to bring in the Fourth of July than in front of the monument featuring George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, “We appreciate all the work President Trump and his team at the Department of the Interior have done to make this celebration possible again for the country.”
While South Dakota remains intact, Trump’s rally in Alabama was canceled on Tuesday over fears of the spread of COVID-19. This comes after his controversial stop on the campaign trail in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
