Donald Trump reposts edited image of his likeness on Mount Rushmore, next to George Washington
- Former US president Donald Trump has long expressed his interest at being added to Mount Rushmore
- Mountain monument with the faces of four US ex-presidents is known as the ‘shrine to democracy’
Donald Trump on Monday reposted an edited image on Truth Social that showed his face being added to Mount Rushmore.
The image, posted by a follower named “Patriotic American Alpha Sauce”, showed Trump’s face looming out of the side of Mount Rushmore, just over George Washington’s shoulder.
The former president also reposted a second image from a 2020 media appearance, which showed him grinning next to what looked like a vacant space on the mountain, alongside Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.
The four faces, carved into the mountain with dynamite and drills, are known as the “shrine to democracy”.
The presidents were chosen by sculptor Gutzon Borglum for their leadership during four phases of American development: Washington led the birth of the nation; Jefferson sparked its westward expansion; Lincoln preserved the union and emancipated slaves; Roosevelt championed industrial innovation.
According to the National Park Service, even if another president were to desire their likeness to be etched on South Dakota’s Mount Rushmore for eternity, there is no more secure space left for another face.
However, The New York Times reported in 2020 that a Trump White House aide reached out to South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem’s office to find out about the process of adding more faces.
This was also not the first time Noem would have heard of such a request – the governor said Trump brought the idea of him being added to Mount Rushmore the first time they met in the oval office.
However, Noem also gave Trump a bronze “Mount Trumpmore” sculpture – a miniature of his face added to the monument – which he appeared to still have displayed in his office as of November 2021.
For his part, Trump denied asking to be added to Mount Rushmore, but said that the concept “sounds like a good idea” to him.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
