Is Trump being added to Mount Rushmore? Here’s the stone-cold truth

Source Domain: www.snopes.com

Certainly, here’s a respectful and fact-based summary of the elements surrounding the claim that Donald Trump’s face was going to be added to Mount Rushmore:

* In April 2026, there were online rumors and posts suggesting that a fifth face, Donald Trump’s, would be added to Mount Rushmore.
* These rumors largely spread from a story initially published by The Daily Mail, which used artificial intelligence to create an image of Trump’s face appearing on Mount Rushmore.
* The story was later revealed to be an April Fools’ joke. Common signs of artificial image manipulation and watermarks confirmed its inauthenticity.
* Though the claim originated as a jest, there were previous instances of Trump expressing an interest in being immortalized by his face on Mount Rushmore:
– In a 2020 report, then South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem shared that Trump aspired to have his image etched on the monument.
– In 2025, U.S. Representative Anna Paulina Luna introduced a bill to add a figure of Trump to Mount Rushmore, although the bill never advanced past committee stage.
* Legal and cultural challenges exist for adding Trump’s face to Mount Rushmore, including the need for Congressional approval and potential legal battles with tribal nations or environmental groups.
* The site of Mount Rushmore itself has a contentious history, primarily due to Indigenous lands issues, with the Lakota Sioux or the Teton Sioux having a historical claim to the land on which the memorial stands.

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