We’ve already seen the grotesque “re-decorating” of the oval office and the razing of the rose garden to put in “patio” like the one he has a Mar-a-Lago. His portrait is hanging all over the White House now, even in the First Ladies gallery replacing HIllary Clinton’s:
According to the NY Times, his grandest dream (other than the Nobel Peace Prize) is to be carved into Mt. Rushmore. You may recall that he told then Gov. Kristi Noem that he dreamed of it and she had a model with his face on it made for him.
Anyway, this is under real consideration:
The thought of amending Mount Rushmore faded until Mr. Trump suggested himself. It’s a provocative idea. Historians recently ranked him as one of the worst presidents in American history, while the four on Mount Rushmore are all in the top five.
But plenty are taking Mr. Trump’s Mount Rushmore ambitions at 60-foot-face value. Theoretically, the president could direct his administration to carve his face there. Given his penchant for chipping away at norms, who’s to say that Mr. Trump wouldn’t figure out a way to chip away at Mount Rushmore?
“Fortunately, from my view, and not just for Trump but anybody else,” Mr. Wenk said, “they’re fighting against the reality of the rock.”
You see, the rock formation doesn’t really support another big sculpture. In fact, according to the story they had originally planned to do torsos of the original but couldn’t because the mountain isn’t all granite.
Still, I could see Trump insisting they blast out one of the other faces and put his in there. Maybe Teddy’s. Or Jefferson. I’m sure he doesn’t even know who he was.
It turns out that’s actually been contemplated:
In this era, imaginations are being stretched and no idea can be dismissed, including at Mount Rushmore. Could smaller versions of presidential heads be carved around the current ones? Maybe, though no one is proposing a 10-foot Trump head sitting on Washington’s lapel or anywhere else.
Could a pre-made carving be attached to Mount Rushmore? If portions of the rock are not strong enough to be carved, they are likely not strong enough to hold something. A cubic foot of granite weighs about 170 pounds. Another material, if it could be adhered, would age differently, beyond other issues.
What about changing one of the current faces into someone new? Not impossible, but those who want to see Mount Rushmore protected take solace in knowing that all four presidents on it remain popular and in good standing.
Isn’t the bigger question why in the world would anyone even suggest putting Donald Trump up there? It’s beyond absurd but that’s the world in which we live now. Let’s just say I would not be surprised.
