Utahns are getting ready for President Donald Trump to visit Salt Lake City. The stopover is expected on Monday.
It’s an event that’s been rumored for weeks, with opponents of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante national monuments saying that Trump would shrink the monuments during a visit to Utah.
On Tuesday, a statement from Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, seemed to confirm it’s happening soon: “I’m thrilled the President has accepted my invitation to come to Utah to discuss critical issues that matter to my constituents.”
Hatch has been working with the president on a tax overhaul which the Senate’s expected to vote on this week.
Meanwhile, monument supporters have been planning their own rally at the State Capitol this weekend. Environmental groups and Native Americans want the Utah monuments to stay intact.
“We’re hearing from lots of people that they want to demonstrate their support,” says Gavin Noyce of Utah Dine Bikeyah, a Native American group that advocated for Bears Ears. “And it’s really a chance for all Utahns to stand behind tribes, to stand behind public lands.”
A dozen environmental and Native American groups are behind the pro-monument rally. Thousands have RSVP’d for the event on Facebook.
