Geotechnical surveys rule out further carving on Black Elk Peak
President Trump is scheduled to speak at Mount Rushmore on Friday in front of the monument, which is planning to host fireworks for his visit after a several-year hiatus. The appearance at the granite sculpture of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt comes as Trump and his allies have pushed to add him to the mountain.
The monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota has long captured Trump’s attention. During his first term, he posted on social media that adding his face “sounds like a good idea to me!” after Kristi Noem, then the governor and later his homeland security secretary, gave him a four-foot-tall replica of the memorial with his face among the four presidents.
Geotechnical surveys commissioned by the National Park Service found that the granite on Black Elk Peak, the mountain formerly known as Harney Peak, is structurally exhausted. Technicians monitoring the monument’s 140 microfractures concluded that further high-impact sculpting would risk catastrophic rockfalls, potentially destabilizing the existing portrait of Abraham Lincoln, according to the surveys.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who traveled with Trump to the monument, did not rule out adding Trump’s face. Asked in an interview with The Wall Street Journal about supporters calling for Trump’s image to be carved into the monument, Burgum said, “I’m sure that there are going to be a lot of people that are going to say we need to build something recognizing President Trump.” He added that Trump’s focus was on “fixing everything we have.”
Florida Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna filed legislation in January 2025 directing the Interior secretary to carve Trump on Mount Rushmore, citing “his transformative impact on America and the historical significance of his leadership.”
The monument’s design was conceived by sculptor Gutzon Borglum, who initially had grander plans. Congress appropriated funds for the sculpture, and lawmakers declared it complete in 1941 shortly after Borglum’s death.
A White House spokeswoman, Taylor Rogers, did not respond directly to questions about Trump’s efforts to have his face added to the monument. “President Trump will be remembered as one of the greatest and most consequential presidents in history,” Rogers said.
The visit to the memorial is the latest in a pattern of Trump’s second-term efforts to put his name and imprint on public infrastructure and federal real estate. As MSI previously reported, Trump’s imprint has expanded across Washington’s monuments and federal buildings. The Palm Beach International Airport will officially become Donald J. Trump International Airport this month. The tax bill passed by Congress last year established savings accounts for children named Trump Accounts. Trump’s image hangs on banners displayed on many federal buildings downtown, a departure from past administrations.
The festivities at Mount Rushmore come amid a heat wave that also forced the closure of the marquee fair on the National Mall in Washington for several hours Friday afternoon.