Who (else) belongs on Mount Rushmore? Here’s who won our straw poll | Opinion
It’s no secret that President Donald Trump would love to see his face on Mt. Rushmore, right up there alongside George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.
His loyal followers hope to make his dream come true. Florida Congressmember Anna Luna introduced a bill in January that directed the secretary of the interior to “arrange for the carving” of Trump’s face on Mount Rushmore, in honor of the president’s “bold leadership and steadfast dedication to America’s greatness.” (The bill remains in committee.)
Granted, the idea of adding anyone’s likeness to the famous monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota is ridiculous on its face.
This is a completed work of art by a sculptor who’s been dead for more than 80 years. In many circles, it’s considered sacrilege to mess with somebody’s else creation.
Plus, there’s not enough room. According to some reports, additional drilling might even jeopardize what’s already there.
There are other challenges as well: Environmental concerns. The likelihood of lawsuits. Funding. The need for congressional approval.
And even if there were the political will and the technical expertise to carve a fifth likeness,Donald Trump is not fit to be in such illustrious company.
Experts who have spent their lives studying presidential politics rank Trump at or near the bottom. Even Richard Nixon would be a more worthy subject.
Historians rank the best and the worst
Trump was voted the worst president in U.S. history by 154 historians who participated in the 2024 Presidential Greatness Project. He did slightly better in the Siena College Research Institute’s poll of 141 presidential scholars, finishing third from the bottom in front of Warren Harding and Franklin Pierce. (Lincoln finished first in both polls.)
There are undoubtedly millions of voters who disagree with the rankings and wholeheartedly support — and would maybe even contribute to — memorializing Trump in granite.
But this, too, could pass.
At the start of Ronald Reagan’s second term, he was unofficially nominated for Rushmore.
Following John F. Kennedy’s assassination, there was talk of carving his face in the mountainside.
And in 1937 — while the work was still in progress — a bill was introduced to include suffragist Susan B. Anthony. It died due to lack of funding.
More recently, in a 2016 Expedia poll Americans chose Franklin D. Roosevelt as their top choice for Mount Rushmore, followed by Kennedy and Reagan.
Among non-presidents, top finishers included Martin Luther King Jr., Benjamin Franklin and Albert Einstein. Donald Trump, who was then a presidential candidate, finished with 2%. He tied with Jesus.
Could Trump wind up on $250 bill?
Some find the idea of further defacing Mount Rushmore so repugnant that they don’t want to play along — something I learned when I quizzed my colleagues.
“Leave. Artwork. Alone,” was one response.
“Considering that entire land was illegally taken and then used for a big, dumb, rock sculpture depicting white dudes, I don’t know if there’s a way to improve it,” was another.
Eventually, Dolly Parton got two votes in my very unofficial straw poll. Jackie Robinson, Cher and Louis Armstrong each got one.
Photographer David Middlecamp — who declined to vote — wisely pointed out that there far more reasonable ways to honor past presidents and other notables.
“Franklin Roosevelt got his face on the dime, JFK the 50-cent piece, Dwight Eisenhower got the dollar coin. That’s enough.”
Good point, though Donald Trump’s face could also wind up immortalized on our currency.
Two members of the House have proposed separate bills. One proposes kicking Benjamin Franklin off the $100 and replacing him with Trump, while the other envisions a new, $250 bill with Trump’s image.
“The most valuable bill for the most valuable President!” South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson, the sponsor of the legislation, crowed in a news release.
There in one minor snag, however. Under current federal law, living people are not allowed on currency.
Not to worry. The bill includes — what else? — a presidential exemption.
