South Dakota's Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration 2020

South Dakota's Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration 2020 was a fireworks celebration at Mount Rushmore held on July 3, 2020, the day before Independence Day. It was notable for featuring the first use of fireworks at the site since 2008 and for being held amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The event had a large crowd in attendance who did not social distance and were not required to wear masks, despite recommendations to do so by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and other science experts, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. However, masks were handed out and attendees were given temperature screenings (despite COVID-19 being able to be spread by asymptomatic individuals). President Donald Trump spoke at the event, with other politicians and notable names including South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, Host of Entertainment Tonight Mary Hart, First Lady Melania Trump and Trump's eldest son Donald Trump Jr. in attendance. Donald Trump Jr.'s girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle also attended, despite having tested positive for the coronavirus that same day. Speech: Trump's remarks at the event covered his deploying of law enforcement to protect monuments, repeatedly expressed his support for a "God", largely ignored the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, and included a reiteration to build "the wall". The speech, as described by Matthew Rowley, is all about 'the power of positive history'—by focusing on what made America great, Americans will be moved to greatness; by focusing on failure, Americans will become harsh, judgmental and intolerant. Although the George Floyd protests form the backdrop to Trump's words, the President nowhere mentions police brutality. 'In other words', writes Rowley, Trump seems to argue that 'America is great because it removed the knee from the slave's neck, not wicked because it knelt over the slave for centuries'.