Trump marks MLK day with brief memorial visit

U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, escorted by Acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, walk off after visiting the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, Monday, Jan. 21, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump paid a brief visit to the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in Washington on the holiday honouring the civil rights leader.

Trump was joined by Vice-President Mike Pence on a frigid and windy day. The two laid a wreath at the foot of the memorial, then held a brief moment of silence.

Trump told reporters as he departed that it was a "great day" and a "beautiful day," but did not respond to questions about the partial government shutdown, now in its 31st day.

The visit lasted less than two minutes.

Trump had been criticized earlier in the day by the Rev. Al Sharpton, who said it was "an insult to the American people" that the White House was not commemorating the holiday with an event.

The president's memorial visit had not been listed on his public schedule and reporters travelling with him were not informed of Trump's destination until they arrived.

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 colour of our skin or the place of our birth, we are all created equal by God."

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Associated Press writer Brian Slodysko contributed to this report.