Trump Returns to Mount Rushmore Ahead of US 250th Anniversary

President Donald Trump is returning to Mount Rushmore after years of suggesting that he deserves a place among the four presidents carved into the historic monument.

On the eve of the United States' 250th anniversary, Trump is visiting Mount Rushmore, nine years after first hinting at the idea of adding his face alongside those of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.

Prior to Trump's visit to the national memorial, the White House stated that adding Trump's face would be a "welcome step," despite longstanding assertions from Mount Rushmore officials that carving additional faces at the site is impossible.

In a statement to The Washington Post, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said, "There would be no better addition to the famous Mount Rushmore than the 45th and 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump."

The subject has preoccupied Trump for some time. Just five weeks ago, he posted twice in one night on his social media platform Truth Social digital renderings of his face alongside the mountain sculptures of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln.

Shortly after taking office, Trump privately told Republican Congresswoman Kristi Noem that joining the monument was his dream.

When Noem became governor of South Dakota, she presented Trump with a statue depicting his face on Mount Rushmore next to Lincoln's, which Trump placed in his office at Mar-a-Lago.

Trump's last visit to the monument was six years ago, when he delivered a speech on July 3, 2020.

On Friday, Freedom 250, an organization established by the White House to lead the US Independence Day 250th anniversary celebrations, issued a statement regarding Trump's Mount Rushmore visit, saying, "Beneath the faces of four of America's greatest presidents, President Trump will deliver a historic speech commemorating the nation's 250th anniversary and outlining the next chapter of America's history."

Two individuals familiar with the event planning, including a senior White House official, confirmed that no image of Trump would be displayed on Mount Rushmore during Friday night's celebrations.

Since taking office, Trump has never categorically rejected the idea of adding his image to Mount Rushmore.

Although he denied in 2020 that he had proposed carving his face there, he said, "Nevertheless, considering the many achievements during the first three and a half years, perhaps more than any other presidency, it seems like a good idea to me!"

Trump's allies have maintained hope for the addition, despite longstanding assertions by Mount Rushmore officials and engineers monitoring the rock that it is not feasible.

Days after being sworn in for a second term, Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna introduced a bill requiring the Department of the Interior to begin procedures for carving Trump's face on Mount Rushmore.

In July 2025, Republican Representative Andy Ogles sent a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum requesting a "study" on adding Trump's face, stating that "previous bureaucratic resistance or political discomfort" should not halt the process.

In 2018, Maureen McGee-Ballinger, the Mount Rushmore media officer, said, "There is no additional space available for carving on the monument."

She added that the rock to the left of Washington cannot be carved, and what appears to be space near Lincoln's statue is "outside the scope of the monument" and "a visual illusion."