“The Worst Shall Be First.” But not in this case
- Jul 3, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 5, 2024
July 4: On This Day In 2020
A survey of professional historians earlier this year ranked Donald Trump as, quite literally, the worst president in U.S. history. Trump disagrees: as you heard him proclaim in the debate last week, he brags that he’s among the greatest ever. So great that, in his mind, he should be memorialized alongside Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln on Mt. Rushmore.
So, to make his dreams come true, Trump made an aide call and plead his case to South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem. He traveled there to give a 4th of July speech OTDI 2020. He even tweeted a carefully-angled (or maybe greenscreened) pic of himself next to Lincoln, so that he looked like the fifth president up there.
Not going to happen: Unfortunately for Trump, the mountain can’t structurally support another face carving. And, regardless, Mount Rushmore is on federal land, not state, so Governor Noem has no say over any additions. At least he tried!
2024 update: Although Noem couldn’t come through for Donald on that one, she tried desperately over the years to please him. During his 2020 visit, she greeted him with a custom-crafted model of Mt. Rushmore which actually did include his chiseled face. In recent years, she has even dramatically altered her physical appearance so as to look like someone who could be a Trump daughter-in-law -- or at least a FOX anchor.
“A Very MAGA Makeover,” is how the NYT put it. Her groveling earned her some significant 2024 Vice Presidential chatter. But then she pretty much shot away her chances when she bragged about having shot her own puppy to death.
Wishing you and your families a happy July 4th.
Dive Deeper
Survey of Historians: Trump is dead last
CNN covers Trump’s long-held fascination with getting his face on Mount Rushmore
The New York Times reports the story on Trump’s request to have his face added to the monument
NYT’s review of Noem’s decision to morph into something more acceptable to MAGAville
Summary: Trump tries to get on Mt Rushmore, despite being deemed the worst president ever