Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Photo reveals Trump has a sculpture of Mount Rushmore with his own face added

Trump has long coveted seeing his face alongside Washington and Jefferson on the famous South Dakota landmark

Bevan Hurley
Friday 26 November 2021 19:54 EST
Comments
Trump dances out of Thanksgiving turkey in bizarre viral video

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Donald Trump proudly displays a sculpture of Mount Rushmore that has been altered to include his face, in his office at Mar-a-Lago, photos have revealed.

Mr Trump posed for pictures with acquitted teenager Kyle Rittenhouse and a Taekwandoe administrator which show the statue on a shelf below a distinctive red MAGA cap and other memorabilia.

The sculpture is believed to be the one gifted by South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem after Mr Trump spoke at the famous landmark during a Fourth of July political rally in 2020, and reportedly cost $1100.

It shows Mr Trump’s face alongside United States presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt.

In August 2020, the White House reportedly contacted Ms Noem about the process of adding additional presidents to Mount Rushmore.

The bust can be seen in the bottom left of the photo of Mr Trump with Kyle Rittenhouse
The bust can be seen in the bottom left of the photo of Mr Trump with Kyle Rittenhouse (Twitter)

Ms Noem said in a 2018 interview the pair had discussed the historic landmark during their first meeting in the Oval Office, where Mr Trump said it was his “dream” to have his face added.

She initially thought he was joking. and started laughing.

Mr Trump’s Mount Rushmore statue can be clearly seen in this photo with the president of Kukkiwon Taekwando Lee Dong-sup
Mr Trump’s Mount Rushmore statue can be clearly seen in this photo with the president of Kukkiwon Taekwando Lee Dong-sup (Kukkiwon Taekwando)

“He wasn’t laughing, so he was totally serious.”

Mr Trump also raised the prospect of placing himself on Mount Rushmore at a campaign rally in Youngstown, Ohio, in 2017.

The Mount Rushmore bust can be clearly seen in a photo posted to the Kukkiwon Taekwando Facebook page, when Mr Trump received an honorary ninth dan belt certificate in taekwondo from the governing body’s president Lee Dong-sup.

Mr Trump claimed in April that had he been a Democrat, he would already be immortalised on Mount Rushmore.

Sculptor Lee Heuning confirmed to The Daily Beast that it was his work.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in