If Donald Trump Is Re-Elected, What Will ‘Happen Soon Again’?

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Former President Donald Trump has announced that he intends to reverse a “ridiculous” policy of President Joe Biden should he return to the White House.

Trump, who announced his bid for a nonconsecutive second term in November, took to the Truth Social on Thursday to promise that he would “very soon” bring back a Fourth of July fireworks celebration at Mount Rushmore.

The former president made the pledge after Republican Governor Kristi Noem of South Dakota said the Biden administration had denied a request for fireworks at the national memorial site for the third year in a row.

Noem argued that fireworks at Mount Rushmore are the “best way” to celebrate the Fourth of July, despite criticism of the environmental impact and protests from Native Americans who say fireworks at the site have no respect for their sacred lands.

The North Lawn of the White House is pictured in Washington, DC, on November 18, 2022. The inset shows former President Donald Trump in Palm Beach, Florida, on November 8, 2022. Trump pledged on Thursday to bring back fireworks at the Fourth of July celebration at Mount Rushmore if elected in 2024, calling the Biden administration’s decision to deny related permits “ridiculous.” MANDEL NGAN/AFP; Joe Raedle/Getty Images

“But I made this incredible event happen, and was there to celebrate with the great people of South Dakota, and America,” Trump wrote in response to Noem. “It’s ridiculous that it’s not allowed anymore. So great for USA spirit. As President, SOON happen again. I Love Mount Rushmore!”

The National Park Service denied Noem’s request in a letter sent to South Dakota Deputy Tourism Department Secretary Wanda Goodman on Thursday.

A copy of the letter obtained by The Daily Caller indicates the potential for fireworks to cause wildfires and release contaminants into the environment, while noting that such displays “continue to be viewed by many Tribes as an ominous impact on the traditional cultural landscape.”

After being denied a permit last year, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Chairman Harold Frazier told Sioux Falls CBS affiliate KELO that his tribe is “vehemently opposed” to fireworks at Mount Rushmore.

“We’ve always maintained, you know, that’s a sacred, very, very sacred site for us Indians and, you know, we feel that fireworks and things like that is a dedecration to, you know, our place, our land,” Frazier said. “Our people will take the stand that needs to be taken to protect the Black Hills.”

Noem launched an unsuccessful lawsuit over the request that was denied last year. In an opinion obtained by local NBC affiliate KNBN, Judge David Straus wrote that “no one has the right to set off fireworks on another’s land, be it a neighbor; a business in the area; or as in the case here, a national park.”

Native American groups protested the fireworks display the last time it happened at Mount Rushmore, in 2020, with Trump. Some have also called for the monument of past presidents to be destroyed, arguing that it is a “symbol of white supremacy” and colonialism.

Trump has repeatedly suggested that his own face should be carved into Mount Rushmore, although there may not be a repeat stone in the structure.

In addition to restoring fireworks to Mount Rushmore, the former president has pledged to dismantle the “left-wing censorship regime,” roll back his US-Mexico border policies and dismantle drug cartels if elected in 2024.

Newsweek has reached out to the National Park Service for comment.

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