President Donald Trump is returning to Mount Rushmore, reigniting speculation about his past interest in having his face carved into the iconic monument. The renewed attention has sparked fresh conversation ahead of his visit.
Currently, the mountain that towers over Mount Rushmore National Monument in Keystone features the busts of US Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.
Why Trump is speaking at Mount Rushmore
According to CNN, the president has brought up his wish to include his likeness on the mountain alongside America’s iconic former presidents jokingly in rallies, and posted about it on social media in the past, calling it a “good idea”. He even reportedly asked the South Dakota governor about the idea during an Oval Office meeting, saying, “Do you know it’s my dream to have my face on Mount Rushmore?”
Trump’s history with Mount Rushmore is mostly about symbolism, not literal progress: he has repeatedly joked that it would be his “dream” to have his face carved there. However, official reporting says there has been no serious move to make that happen, and the monument is structurally not set up for a fifth face.
In 2020, he used a Mount Rushmore speech to attack “cancel culture” and defend a triumphant version of American history, a message that later fed into his broader cultural agenda and the launch of his National Garden of American Heroes project.
Trump allies have not let the issue go easily. In fact, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum had said during an interview that there was certainly room for Trump’s face, and Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican, had introduced legislation for the project as it would suitably reflect Trump’s legacy.
Trump has been known to impose his face and name on the architecture of America. However, he might just have overdone it with his Mount Rushmore dreams.
WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING FROM TRUMP’S MOUNT RUSHMORE VISIT?
