Prevent Trump's face on a national landmark

Trump loyalist Rep. Andy Ogles wrote to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum recently urging the government to put Trump on Mount Rushmore. After saying the White House is ushering in America’s Golden Age, Ogles added, “it is essential that we immortalize President Trump’s likeness on Mount Rushmore.”1 Just like Trump’s grotesque and wasteful military parade, glorifying a sitting president with national statues and monuments is another step toward authoritarianism. Rep. Ogle’s plan follows Interior Secretary Burgum saying earlier this year that there’s “definitely” room for Trump on Rushmore.2 It also follows the Trump administration’s pattern of anti-democratic actions, like rolling tanks through D.C. to celebrate Trump’s birthday and defying countless court orders. The drive to put Trump’s face on Mount Rushmore is more disturbing because the monument is built in the Black Hills on unceded Lakota territory — deeply important land that the U.S. government stole from Native Americans.3 And the person who led the construction of Mount Rushmore had ties to the KKK.4 As the White House tries to open up public land for destructive mining and drilling, the Interior Department seems more focused on celebrating Trump than fulfilling its duties to protect public lands. While unwavering Trump allies in Congress and throughout the federal government scramble to gain favor with the president, our lawmakers must stand against Trump’s wasteful, authoritarian displays. Prevent Trump's face from destroying an American landmark