A GOP lawmaker wants President Donald Trump’s bust “promptly” added to Mount Rushmore after Trump’s mega domestic policy and budget bill passed.
Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) penned a letter Thursday to Secretary Doug Burgum at the Department of the Interior requesting that Burgum “explore the addition” of Trump’s likeness to the national monument.
“We understand that physical modifications to Mount Rushmore raise logistical and preservation questions, but the discussion should not be foreclosed based on past bureaucratic resistance or political discomfort,” Ogles’ letter reads in part. “While meeting the logistical challenges may require engagement with the state and/or tribal officials, the benefit of promptly recognizing President Trump’s accomplishments in restoring American greatness makes doing so a priority…”
The letter was sent shortly after Republicans voted to pass Trump’s budget bill in the House of Representatives, sending it to his desk before Trump’s arbitrary deadline of July 4.
Ogles also included examples of how Trump’s actions align him with the presidents on Mount Rushmore. For instance, Ogles said Trump “champions independence” like George Washington; is “returning the power to the American people” like Thomas Jefferson; takes on “entrenched interests” like Theodore Roosevelt, and is “fighting to preserve the Union” like Abraham Lincoln.
“The Department of the Interior owes the American people a full, fair, and transparent consideration of how to best commemorate presidential legacies of enduring consequence,” the letter continues. “That includes opening a formal review of how President Trump’s leadership might be symbolically recognized on par with the leaders already enshrined.”
