Donald Trump made a surprise visit to the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in Washington today after being criticised for not having plans to honour the activist on a holiday dedicated to his memory.
The President visited the statue of the civil rights activist and laid a wreath and is said to have spent roughly about two minutes there.
“Good morning, everybody. Great day. Beautiful day. Thank you for being here. Appreciate it,” he said at the memorial, according to the New York Post.
As he departed he said it was a "great” and "beautiful” day.
President Trump did not make further comments to reporters when asked questions as he made the visit alongside vice president Mike Pence and acting interior secretary David Bernhardt.
Earlier in the day, the White House had stated neither the President nor his vice had any public events planned for the occasion.
The memorial visit had not been listed on his public schedule and reporters traveling with him were not informed of President Trump's destination until they arrived.
Reverend Al Sharpton, a rights activist and former White House adviser to Barack Obama, hit out at the President for this.
He told the New York Post: “This is an insult to the American people that the president of the United States does not officially recognise or give any ceremony for Dr. King.”
President Trump tweeted earlier: "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."
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Following his visit, he wrote: “Today, it was my great honor to visit the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial with @VP Mike Pence, in honor of #MLKDay