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Trump visits Martin Luther King Jr. memorial after being criticized for ignoring holiday

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

President Donald Trump, right, and Vice President Mike Pence, left, visited the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, today, in Washington.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence visited the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, today, in Washington.

Hours after being roundly criticized for ignoring Martin Luther King Jr. on a national holiday in his honor, President Donald Trump made an unannounced visit today at a Washington memorial erected for the slain civil rights leader.

Joined by Vice President Pence, Trump made a brief appearance at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial where he laid a wreath at the stone monument.

His visit lasted 90 seconds, according to reports.

“It’s a great day, a beautiful day,” he said, making no mention of King or the holiday. “Thank you for being here.”

Trump also ignored shouted questions from reporters about the partial government shutdown, which is about to enter its second month.

Earlier in the morning, Trump was assailed by the Rev. Al Sharpton, who was hosting potential Democratic presidential candidates at a Washington, D.C., breakfast in King’s honor.

Sharpton noted that neither Trump nor Pence had ceremonies honoring King on their public schedules.

“Today as we have this breakfast, there is no official event at the White House to celebrate Martin Luther King Day,” Sharpton said at the event featuring former Vice President Joe Biden and former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who are both believed to be eyeing 2020 presidential runs.

“The vice president … nor the president, have any official thing on their calendar to celebrate a federal holiday that Ronald Reagan signed,” Sharpton said. “This is an insult to the American people that the president of the United States does not officially recognize or give any ceremony for Dr. King.”

Trump’s visit to the memorial site — which is overseen by the National Park Service — came on the 31st day of the government shutdown, which has left the National Park Service unfunded.

Trump also issued a King proclamation, but not before he was criticized at the Sharpton breakfast.

“Today we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for standing up for the self-evident truth Americans hold so dear, that no matter what the color of our skin or the place of our birth, we are all created equal by God. #MLKDay,” Trump tweeted this morning.

Trump’s predecessors typically marked the day by doing some community service.

Former President Barack Obama reminded his followers of King’s message in a tweet he posted as Trump was concluding his 90-second visit.

“I’ve always drawn inspiration from what Dr. King called life’s most persistent and urgent question: ‘What are you doing for others?’” Obama wrote. “Let’s honor his legacy by standing up for what is right in our communities and taking steps to make a positive impact on the world.”

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