The president made the unannounced visit to the Washington site on Monday, the holiday dedicated to the civil rights leader.
ADVERTISEMENTWASHINGTON — President Trump and and Vice President Pence visited the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in Washington on Monday, laying a wreath in King's honor.
"It's a great day, beautiful day," he said.
Initially, neither the president nor the vice president had any official events on their schedule for the holiday. The visit to the memorial was unannounced and lasted just a few minutes.
Shortly before heading to the memorial, President Trump tweeted a link to this year's presidential proclamation honoring the slain civil rights leader. "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," Trump tweeted.
At the memorial, President Trump ignored questions from reporters about the government shutdown. Some memorials, such as the Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Atlanta, have relied on private donations in order to open in time for the holiday amidst the ongoing shutdown.