Trump to speak at Mount Rushmore, one monument he can’t remake

Donald TrumpTrump to speak at Mount Rushmore, one monument he can’t remakePresident Donald Trump will give a speech honoring America’s 250th anniversary before the likenesses of four predecessors Friday night. There’s no room for a fifth, experts say.Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00President Donald Trump during a 2020 speech at Mount Rushmore.Al Drago / Bloomberg via Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJuly 3, 2026, 7:57 PM EDTBy Peter NicholasKEYSTONE, S.D. — A federal building in Washington has been named after Donald Trump, as have naval battleships, an airport in Palm Beach, Florida, and a new government savings account.Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscriptionGet exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading.But no presidential distinction rivals having one’s likeness carved onto Mount Rushmore — an honor destined to elude Trump, as even some of his ardent supporters seem to recognize.Trump flew to the monument Friday night on the eve of the 250th anniversary of the nation’s independence. He is to speak beneath the towering granite images of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt. Weather interfered in the pre-program, with rain and hail forcing visitors to seek shelter in a cafeteria on the grounds.Would Trump like to be the fifth face on the mountaintop? Back in his first term, then-Rep. Kristi Noem of South Dakota said he told her his “dream” was to join his celebrated predecessors atop Mount Rushmore.Add NBC News to GoogleExtreme heat impacting celebrations for America’s 250th birthday05:02“I started laughing,” Noem, a Republican who was Trump’s homeland security secretary this term, said in 2018. “He wasn’t laughing, so he was totally serious.” He had to settle. As South Dakota governor in 2020, Noem gave Trump a 4-foot-high model of Mount Rushmore that included his image.That year, news outlets reported that Trump White House aides had inquired about adding faces to the monument. Trum...