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Monday, Jun 15, 2026

Is it possible to add a fifth face to Mount Rushmore?

Michael Klinski, South Dakota News Watch
no

Despite calls for presidents such as Reagan, Obama, Trump or others to be added as a fifth face onto Mount Rushmore, it’s not possible. 

“There is no more carvable space up on the sculpture,” the landmark’s public information officer said in 2020, adding that it’s one of the most common questions park employees receive. 

Then-U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem recalled President Trump telling her in his first term that it was his “dream” to be on Mount Rushmore. Noem said she started to laugh, assuming he was joking, but that he was “totally serious.” 

Trump has made several references to being on Mount Rushmore over the years, including sharing in May an AI-generated image of himself on the mountain next to Lincoln.

When Noem was governor, she gave Trump a $1,100 bust that depicted the president on Mount Rushmore when he visited on July 3, 2020, for an Independence Day celebration.

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