Trump plans to attend Mount Rushmore fireworks July 3
Lisa Kaczke
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – President Donald Trump plans to see the fireworks over Mount Rushmore in person this year.
Trump told conservative podcast host Dan Bongino on Friday that he plans to attend the July 3 event.
"For 20 years or something it hasn’t been allowed for environmental reasons. You believe that one? It’s all stone," Trump told Bongino.
Gov. Kristi Noem praised the news and thanked Trump for helping making the event happen.
"Thank you @POTUS for working with us to make this a reality," Noem tweeted. "There's truly no better place to celebrate America's birthday.
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Trump told Noem in January that he would try to attend the fireworks, which will be held this year for the first time since 2009. The South Dakota Legislature also passed a resolution this year inviting him to attend the fireworks.
Trump has previously said that no one knows why the fireworks were stopped a decade ago.
"I said, 'What can burn? It's stone,'" Trump said in January. "So nobody knew why. They just said environmental reasons."
Concerns about the pine beetle infestation's impact on the forest ended the fireworks display after 2009, but Noem announced last year that improvements in the forest and fireworks technology mean the display will be safe.
The National Park Service announced earlier this week that it found no significant impact if the fireworks event goes ahead as planned. An environmental impact assessment determined that the fireworks wouldn't "constitute an impairment of the resources or values of Mount Rushmore National Memorial," according to the park service. Several plans are being developed for the fireworks event, including wildfire response and a "Go/No Go checklist."
Trump, who has been holed up in the White House for more than a month, has been eager to get back on the road as states begin to ease coronavirus restrictions that have crippled the U.S. economy.
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Trump said he also plans to travel soon to Ohio. He did not offer any details.
Trump last visited South Dakota in September 2018, when he took part in a campaign fundraiser for Noem in Sioux Falls.
Former President George W. Bush is the last president to visit Mount Rushmore. He visited the memorial in 2002.
Contributing: David Jackson and Michael Collins, USA TODAY
