White House aides reportedly reached out to South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem in 2019 about the process of adding additional presidents to Mount Rushmore, the New York Times reported.
So, when Trump arrived in the state of South Dakota this year for his July Fourth celebrations at the monument, Noem presented the president with a four-foot replica of Mount Rushmore that included his face.
Not joking, or was he?
Noem has noted before Trump's "dream" to have his face on Mount Rushmore.
According to a 2018 interview with Noem, the president struck up a conversation with the governor about the sculpture in the Oval Office during their first meeting.
She thought he was joking.
"I started laughing," Noem said. "He wasn't laughing, so he was totally serious".
"He said, 'Kristi, come on over here. Shake my hand, and so I shook his hand, and I said, 'Mr. President, you should come to South Dakota sometime. We have Mount Rushmore.' And he goes, 'Do you know it's my dream to have my face on Mount Rushmore?'"
via Wikipedia
The 1920s Coolidge-era sculpture features the 60-foot-tall faces of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt.
Sculpture controversial
During his July Fourth speech to supporters in South Dakota, Trump fiercely defended Mount Rushmore saying it will "stand forever as an eternal tribute to our forefathers, and to our freedom".
His remarks were made even as activists and native tribal leaders have long criticised the sculpture for its history and purpose.
"As we meet here tonight there is a growing danger that threatens every blessing our ancestors fought so hard for," Trump warned.
Trump previously toyed with the idea of adding his face to Mount Rushmore in 2017 at a campaign rally in Youngstown, Ohio.
Odd request
However, Trump's request is odd.
This is because the federal government is in charge of such matters of adding more sculptures, not the state -- which means the matter is out of the state's hands.
The National Park Service has also addressed the subject several times with a hard no, as it is impossible to make additions citing instability to the structure.
A White House official also noted to NYT that Mount Rushmore is a federal, not a state monument.
The president has since responded to the news, calling it "Fake News by the failing New York Times & bad ratings CNN".
Top photo via Wikipedia & Getty