Trump first expressed his dream with Noem of being carved on the monument alongside the 60-foot-tall faces of US presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln during their first meeting in the Oval Office in 2018, when she was still running for governor.Noem described her conversation with Trump to the South Dakota newspaper Argus Leader at the time."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?'"Noem was convinced he was joking. "I started laughing," she said, but "he wasn't laughing, so he was totally serious."According to the Times report, Trump's determination was made even more clear a year later, when a White House aide reached out to the governor’s office and asked about the process of adding additional presidents to Mount Rushmore.Then, on July 4, Trump arrived in South Dakota for his July 4th celebrations and was greeted by Noem, now governor, who didn't forget their previous talk and presented him with a four-foot replica of Mount Rushmore that included his face.Trump fiercely defended Mount Rushmore during his visit, which activists and native tribal leaders have long criticized for its controversial history, saying it will "stand forever as an eternal tribute to our forefathers, and to our freedom.""As we meet here tonight, there is a growing danger that threatens every blessing our ancestors fought so hard for," Trump warned. He added, "Our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values and indoctrinate our children."A White House official noted to The New York Times that Mount Rushmore is a federal, not a state monument.This is Fake News by the failing @nytimes & bad ratings @CNN. Never suggested it although, based on all of the many things accomplished during the first 3 1/2 years, perhaps more than any other Presidency, sounds like a good idea to me! https://t.co/EHrA9yUsAw
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 10, 2020
Trump: I should be on Mt. Rushmore for doing 'more than' other presidents
South Dakota's governor was convinced he was joking. "I started laughing," she said, but "he wasn't laughing... he was totally serious."
