July 4 live: Trump heads for Mount Rushmore after severe heat shuts down his state fair
President Donald Trump’s chaotic preparations for America’s 250th anniversary celebrations are continuing in the wake of another disaster that almost saw dancers hit by a piece of falling stage set during their rehearsals in Washington, D.C., Thursday.
Fortunately no one was injured in the accident, but the incident marks the latest in a series of mishaps surrounding the administration’s plans for the nation’s semiquincentennial celebrations, from the recently renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool turning green from algae to the “Great American State Fair” on the National Mall failing to draw crowds.
The president is heading to South Dakota Friday for the latest leg of the festivities at Mount Rushmore, where he will be greeted by Gov. Larry Rhoden and take in a fireworks display above the famous landmark, an event environmentalists have warned could spark wildfires.
The president will then return to D.C. for Saturday’s Fourth of July festivities, at which he has pledged to deliver a “really long” speech at a Salute to America event in defiance of the sweltering temperatures that have been forecast.
Trump has promised an even greater fireworks show to follow but has not explained who is paying for it.
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That’s according to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, citing sources who say they fear that the high temperatures forecast and late start for tomorrow’s fireworks display could again leave the president facing another barren crowd.
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Trump is said to have been greatly angered by the poor attendance at the centerpiece event of his 250th anniversary celebrations and with its becoming a media fixation but the scene behind the two Fox News hosts here is undeniable.
Rival network MS NOW has helpfully collected together a montage of Fox hosts broadcasting from the lonely parade grounds.
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