President Donald Trump confirmed Friday in an interview that he still planned on visiting Mount Rushmore to attend the fireworks display for Independence Day.
“I’m going to go there on July 3, and they’re going to have the big fireworks, that’s South Dakota,” Trump said in an interview with Dan Bongino.
Trump said he spoke with the governor of South Dakota, Kristi Noem, about her state and the ongoing fight against the coronavirus and confirmed his plans to attend the event.
Noem asked President Trump to restore the traditional event after the National Park Service canceled it for eleven years citing fire concerns.
Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt announced the decision on Tuesday.
“President Trump and I believe that our nation’s founding should be celebrated with the same pomp and parade that John Adams described in 1776, and having a fireworks display at Mount Rushmore once again will be an incredible spectacle for the American people to enjoy,” he said in a statement.
Trump also spoke about attending the event in January, scoffing at the idea that the government canceled the event.
“I said what can burn? It’s stone,” Trump said. “So nobody knew why, they just said environmental reasons.”