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Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke praises Utahns, Mormon pioneers at Days of ’47 rodeo

The culminating night of the annual Days of ’47 rodeo kicked off with a special visit from a member of President Donald Trump’s cabinet.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, whose review of public lands and recommendations led to the reduction of Utah’s Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, offered brief remarks on the topic of religious freedom Tuesday evening as the rodeo’s Pioneer Day event got underway.

The bulk of Zinke’s remarks consisted of reading a statement by Trump, released earlier in the day Tuesday, recognizing Utah’s Pioneer Day celebration and the settlement of Mormon pioneers in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847.