Friday, July 3, 2020.
9:52 AM ET.
“The President’s motorcade arrived at Trump National Golf Club, in Sterling, VA,” the White House press pool reports.
To greet him were “a woman near the entrance holding a ‘Trump is a Traitor’ sign and separately a man giving the motorcade a thumbs up.”
While today is a federal holiday to observe Independence Day, many Americans are working, and many Americans – 11% as of Thursday’s report – would like to be but are unemployed.
Today marks the President’s 365th day at a Trump-owned property since he was sworn in on January 20, 2017. It’s also his 273rd day at one of his golf resorts, according to CNN’s Jim Sciutto.
More than 45 million Americans have filed for unemployment since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The Wall Street Journal reports “the U.S. labor market is operating with about 15 million fewer jobs than in February.”
After the golf outing, which is not listed on the official White House schedule, President Donald Trump and First lady Melania Trump will leave the White House at 4:45 PM ET for what will essentially be a 12-hour round trip journey to preside over 1 hour and 50 minutes of fireworks at South Dakota’s Mt. Rushmore.
Across the country 2.8 million people have been infected with coronavirus, 131,544 people have died. America ranks 27th in per capita testing. The U.S. also ranks first in total cases and total deaths (number 1 is worst,) and ninth in per capita deaths (number 1 is worst.)
One former Mt. Rushmore official, citing risk of wildfire – which is why fireworks have been halted in recent years, until today at the President’s insistence – called holding the event “insane.”