Trump’s Silly Mid-Pandemic July 4th Mount Rushmore Celebration Reportedly Cost Almost $4 Million

Before Donald Trump took office, Independence Day festivities cost the federal government roughly $6.5 million a year. By 2019, the cost was all the way up to $13 million, and Trump managed to top that number in 2020 during the middle of a pandemic. According to a new report from the Government Accountability Office, which audits federal spending, Trump’s Fourth of July events cost $14,573,608 and one of the most expensive items was his ill-advised visit to Mount Rushmore, which cost nearly $4 million by itself.

Despite the coronavirus still being a persistent threat and the availability of vaccines still months away, Trump stopped by Mount Rushmore where he used the national monument to criticize the removal of racist statues. Following the Black Lives Matter protest in the wake of George Floyd being murdered by Michigan police officer Derek Chauvin, there was a renewed call to remove monuments to the Confederacy and pro-slavery historical figures. Republicans pushed back at the notion, and Trump was more than happy to lean into conservative talking point with an election ahead. Via Newsweek:

“I am here as your president to proclaim before the country, and before the world, this monument will never be desecrated,” he said in a speech.

“These heroes will never be defaced. Their legacy will never ever be destroyed, their achievements will never be forgotten, and Mount Rushmore will stand forever. As an eternal tribute to our forefathers and to our freedom,” he said.

However, Trump’s expensive Mount Rushmore event on the taxpayer’s dime did not earn him a second term. Instead, he lost to Joe Biden and was roundly mocked on social media when, after the election, Ivanka Trump posted a photo from the event that suggested her father’s face would be a fitting addition to the historic sculpture.

(Via Newsweek)