Washington, Jul 5 (UNI) In his Independence Day address, US President Donald Trump defended America's history and said that the radical left and the coronavirus will be defeated.
In a Fourth of July speech at the White House lawn in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Trump on Saturday emphasized the importance of "American heroes" and their legacy and said he won't allow an "angry mob" to tear down statues, "indoctrinate children" or "trample" freedoms.
'We are now in the process of defeating the radical left: the Marxists, the anarchists, the agitators, the looters and people who in many instances have absolutely no clue what they are doing,' Trump said to hundreds during the Independence Day celebration, Fox news reported.
'We will never allow an angry mob to tear down our statues, erase our history, indoctrinate our children or trample on our freedoms,' he said referring to the George Floyd protests.
Millions of Americans have been demonstrating against police brutality and racial inequality since the May killing of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
The protests have led to the removal, or calls for the removal, of statues, including Confederate generals and slave owners, from public and private facilities. As the country has debated what to do about monuments, Mr Trump emphasized his administration will protect those monuments.
'There have always been those who seek to lie about the past in order to gain power in the present, those that are lying about our history, those who want us to be ashamed of who we are.Their goal is demolition,' the US President said.
The coronavirus infection has been spreading in the United States, which has the largest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases (over 2.8 million) out of all the countries and the highest COVID-19 death toll (over 129,600), according to the latest data from the Johns Hopkins University.
Trump, who has come under widespread criticism for his handling of the coronavirus, yet again referred to COVID-19 as "the virus that came from China" and promised that the US will have a coronavirus vaccine "long before the end of the year."
The President said the US is doing 'unbelievably well' in finding remedies for the virus and is doing 'deep testing' on vaccines. He praised the numbers of virus tests being administered in the US.
Trump, who has railed against the "cancel culture," refused to let the coronavirus pandemic close down a grand Fourth of July celebration in Washington, DC, despite objections from local officials over rising infection rates.
Four flyovers over East Coast cities, a DC military air show, music and fireworks were all on tap for the "Salute to America" celebration to honor America's 244th birthday on Saturday.
UNI XC AVK 0842