#mount-rushmore — Trump Fail

Trump Used America's 250th Birthday to Campaign for His Face on Mount Rushmore — He Posted a Gold Video of Himself Carved into the Monument, the White House Said He'd Be "No Better Addition," He Distributed Cookies on Air Force One Depicting Himself as the Fifth President on the Mountain, and He Flew the Qatari Jet Over the Sacred Lakota Site While Hailstorms Battered the Crowd Below

On the eve of the 250th anniversary of American independence, Trump flew to Mount Rushmore on the Qatari-gifted Air Force One, buzzed the monument twice for the cameras, delivered a 28-minute speech warning of a "communist menace," and distributed cookies aboard the jet depicting his face carved into Mount Rushmore as the fifth president. Conservative commentator Benny Johnson posted photos of the cookies — which showed five presidential faces instead of four — calling them "the cookies Trump gave out last night on Air Force One." Earlier that day, Trump had posted a video on Truth Social showing a gold-plated 3D rendering of Mount Rushmore with his face mounted next to Lincoln's, with a voiceover: "I will be the greatest president for many, many years to come." White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said publicly: "There would be no better addition to the iconic Mount Rushmore than the 45th and 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump." Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) introduced H.R. 792 in January 2025 directing the Interior Secretary to carve Trump's likeness into the monument. Roger Stone pushed a "One More for Rushmore" petition. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said there is "certainly" room. None of this is possible: the National Park Service says Mount Rushmore is a completed work of art with no viable locations for additional carvings. The original sculptor wrote in 1936 that adding a fifth head was impossible due to stone limitations. An engineer who oversaw rock monitoring at the site: "It comes down to the geology, the engineering. It just can't be done." The mountain is sacred to the Lakota Sioux — known to them as the Six Grandfathers — on land the Supreme Court ruled in 1980 was illegally seized. The Oglala Sioux Tribal Council passed a resolution opposing the event. The 4,800 lottery-selected attendees endured two hailstorms and shelter-in-place alerts before Trump spoke. The fireworks — first at the site in six years, revived by Trump over environmental concerns about drought, wildfires, and endangered bat species — cost $700,000. In 2020, then-Governor Kristi Noem gifted Trump a four-foot replica of Mount Rushmore with his face. He was "totally serious" when he told her it was his dream to be up there.

Trump Posts 60+ Times in 14 Hours After Kennedy Center Ruling — Attacks Judge's Wife, Shares AI Slop, Says Center Should "Never Open Again"

After a judge ordered Trump's name removed from the Kennedy Center, the president spent 14 hours posting 60+ times on Truth Social from his golf course. In a 700-word opening rant, he called the center "rusted, rotted, and rat and bug infested," attacked Judge Cooper's wife by name, accused the judge of a "total Conflict of Interest" that merits criminal charges, threatened the center would be "closed, probably never to open again," and declared the court system "RIGGED." He then spent the rest of the day sharing AI-generated images of himself on Mount Rushmore, commanding a space station, and walking with an alien. He also attacked the Pope, the judge blocking his White House ballroom, and Gavin Newsom — whom he depicted in a padded cell. His posting pace: 565 posts in April alone, a third of them at night.

$220 Million No-Bid DHS Ad Campaign Starring Kristi Noem

$220M in no-bid taxpayer-funded "self-deportation" ads featured Noem on horseback at Mount Rushmore. One contractor was created 11 days before receiving $143M. The key subcontractor's CEO was married to the DHS official who funded the contracts.