Trump, Pence 'honor' Martin Luther King by spending just 30 seconds at memorial, down from 94 seconds in 2019
President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence had received criticism last year in January for spending just 94 seconds at the Washington, D.C.’s MLK Memorial on Martin Luther King Day, without saying a word. The duo, however, broke their previous record this time as they decided to "honor" the civil rights icon late on Monday by spending just 30 seconds at the memorial.
Both Trump and Pence reportedly stayed at the memorial for a mere 30 seconds and left without saying a word. The two were back in the White House 10 minutes later.
The account of their short-timed visit was documented by CNN White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins, who took to Twitter to write, "President Trump and Vice President Pence just made an unannounced trip to the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in Washington. They stood in front of it for approximately 30 seconds with their heads bowed before turning and leaving without making remarks."
A video of the event was also posted by The Hill on Twitter, which showed the two leaders getting booed and cheered by some as they approached the memorial.
The pair's brief visit was also criticized by social media users as one Twitter user wrote, "Of course they didn’t stay at the MLK memorial site for more than 30 seconds. Had they stayed any longer, both Trump & Pence would’ve burst into flames. It’s like asking Count Dracula to stand on holy ground as the sun is coming up."
While another said, "I don’t know why the MLK Memorial didn’t collapse from the weight of Trump’s and Pence’s hypocrisy!"
President Trump's White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway, earlier on Monday, had told reporters in the briefing room that Trump "agrees with many of the things that Dr Martin Luther King stood for and agreed with for many years, including unity and equality." She also suggested that King would have opposed Trump's impeachment, which is currently ongoing in the Senate.
"When you see the articles of impeachment that came out, I don't think it was within Dr King's vision to have Americans dragged through a process where the President is not going to be removed from office, is not being charged with bribery, extortion, high crimes or misdemeanors," she said.
Conway's comments, however, were slammed by the youngest daughter of King, Bernice King, who took a swipe at the Trump counselor's assertions about her late father.
King retweeted Conway's comments, saying, "Until a person commits to better understanding and then better understands my father’s teachings and methodologies, I REALLY wish they’d keep his name, and incorrect anaylsis, out of their conversations about current issues. #MLKDay #MLK."