AP Photo/ Evan Vucci
President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence visit the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on Monday.
- President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence visited the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington DC on Monday just after 11 a.m.
- The pair placed a wreath at the foot of the statue during their brief visit, which only lasted a couple of minutes.
- Trump reportedly did not answer reporter questions about the government shutdown during the visit.
President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence made an unannounced visit to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington DC on Monday in recognition of the holiday honoring the civil rights leader.
Trump and Pence placed a wreath at the memorial during their brief visit, which occurred just after 11 a.m.
"It's a great day. A beautiful day. Thank you for being here. Appreciate it," Trump told reporters at the memorial, according to CNN.
He and Pence stood by the statue for only a minute or two, Reuters White House correspondent Jeff Mason said on Twitter.
The visit was unexpected because as of Sunday night the White House reported that Trump's public schedule for MLK Day was empty.
Last year, Trump spent Martin Luther King Jr. Day golfing at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence pause after placing a wreath at the Martin Luther King Memorial in Washington.
Earlier on Monday Trump posted a statement about Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Twitter.
"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," he said, linking to a longer statement on the White House's website.
The MLK Jr. Memorial in Washington is overseen by the National Park Service, which has been left unfunded during the 31-day government shutdown.
Trump did not respond to questions about the shutdown during the short visit to the memorial, according to the Associated Press.
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