Donald Trump has frequently suggested that his presidential legacy merits a place on Mount Rushmore, and the President appeared to lean further into that idea this week with a series of conspicuous references to the famed monument.
Trump addressed supporters at the South Dakota landmark on Friday night, opening the much-hyped America 250 celebrations tied to the nation’s upcoming semiquincentennial.
Ahead of his remarks, Trump shared an AI-generated video showing a gold-colored version of Mount Rushmore with his likeness added on the far right, appearing beside Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt.
“I will be the greatest president for many, many years to come. And we’re gonna have a lot of fun tonight,” Trump said in a voiceover as the video moved across the gleaming depiction of the monument.
The suggestion was echoed by the Trump administration in another way: cookies distributed aboard Air Force One featured Trump’s face carved into the mountain alongside Lincoln.
The frosted design included the words, “Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Black Hills, South Dakota. Five Presidents.”
Bettina Trump, the President’s new daughter-in-law, posted a photo of the cookie to her Instagram Stories.
CNN White House correspondent Betsy Klein also shared an image of the cookies on X, noting, “The cookies served to the first family and to the press aboard Air Force One today were… different.”
Trump shared an AI-generated video depicting a gold-plated engraving of Mount Rushmore with his face added to the far right of the monument
The Trump administration handed out cookies on Air Force One showing Trump’s etched in the mountain alongside Lincoln.
Although the Trump administration has not announced any official plans, the White House seemed open to the idea, writing in a statement to the media, ‘There would be no better addition to the iconic Mount Rushmore than the 45th and 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump.’
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Trump has put out feelers about adding his face to the memorial, dating back to 2018, when then-representative Kristi Noem said the President had declared it was his ‘dream’ to be added to Mount Rushmore.
When asked in 2019 by The Hill if he wanted to be added, he coyly replied, ‘If I answer that question, “Yes,” I will end up with such bad publicity.’
A year later, after a report circulated by The New York Times that Trump was campaigning to have his likeness added, he wrote on X that he ‘never suggested’ adding his face.
‘Although, based on all of the many things accomplished during the first 3 1/2 years, perhaps more than any other Presidency, sounds like a good idea to me!’ he added.
Trump echoed a similar sentiment in 2017 at a campaign rally, telling the crowd, ‘If I did it joking, totally joking, having fun, the fake news media will say, “He believes he should be on Mount Rushmore.” So I won’t say it, okay? I won’t say it.’
The decision would align with Trump’s goal of making his mark on historic buildings and monuments across the nation.
He has embarked on a mission to ‘beautify’ the nation’s capital, approving a massive restoration project at the Lincoln Memorial and erecting a golden ballroom in the White House.
‘There would be no better addition to the iconic Mount Rushmore than the 45th and 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump,’ said a White House statement
The President also added his name to the John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts and announced renovations to the historic building.
During his speech on Friday in front of Mount Rushmore, Trump said of the monument, ‘Their faces are engraved on these bluffs, not only because of what they did, but to remind us forever who we are.’
‘These heroes exemplify what is timeless, enduring, eternal about the American character — and in the end it has always been that character, our distinct and unique identity.’
