Under fire for his response to America's spiralling coronavirus caseload, President Donald Trump is heading to Mount Rushmore for a night of holiday fireworks that he hopes will provide a much-needed distraction.
On the eve of Independence Day, Mr Trump is to speak in the shadow of four notable predecessors: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, whose heads are carved into a granite cliff in South Dakota's Black Hills.
Mr Trump was expected to use that monumental backdrop to assail those who would "tear down our history," CNN reported, including the "left-wing mobs" that he blames for pulling down statues of historic figures considered racist.
Mr Trump has had little to say about the shocking increase in the number of US virus cases, though he tweeted Thursday the rise was because "our testing is so massive and so good," calling that "great news."
He added: "Even better news is that death, and the death rate, is DOWN."
US testing has risen sharply, but health experts say it still lags on a per capita basis behind many other countries and does not fully explain the case rise. They also note that deaths tend to increase a few weeks after cases rise.
Amid the spate of bad news - and as he persistently trails Democratic opponent Joe Biden in polls ahead of November's election - Mr Trump has been openly exuberant about the Rushmore event.
Some 7,500 attendees are expected. Protective masks will be available but not required.
"We're going to have a tremendous evening," the president said Thursday. "It's going to be a fireworks display like few people have seen."
The pandemic has claimed nearly 130,000 American lives, and a recent resurgence of cases in the country's south and west "puts the entire country at risk," top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci has said.
Some US states are currently beating their own grim virus records nearly every day. The number of daily new cases nationwide recently topped 50,000 for the first time.
Many states have paused efforts to reopen their economies, even reimposing restrictions on bars, restaurants and beaches.
Former president Barack Obama weighed in Friday, tweeting: "This holiday weekend, let's be safe and smart. It's going to take all of us to beat this virus. So wear a mask. Wash your hands. And listen to the experts, not the folks trying to divide us."
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