President Donald Trump is making his way to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota on Friday, where the faces of four former American presidents are etched into the granite mountainside, as the nation marks 250 years since its founding.
The South Dakota stop serves as a warm-up to the main celebration scheduled for Saturday evening in Washington, where Trump will speak to a large crowd gathered on the National Mall before a spectacular fireworks display lights up the sky.
Earlier in the week, on Wednesday, Trump was in Medora, North Dakota, where he dedicated the presidential museum honoring Theodore Roosevelt — an occasion that included comparisons between Trump and one of the country’s most energetic historical leaders.
At Mount Rushmore — a site Trump also visited back in 2020 — he will deliver a keynote address and take in another fireworks show. Officials have noted some concern about fire risks in the region due to dry drought conditions currently affecting the area.
Trump has long floated the idea of having his own likeness added to the mountain alongside the carved portraits of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. Back in 2020, during his first term, he posted on social media that the idea sounded appealing, writing: “Sounds like a good idea to me.”
No concrete steps have been taken toward making that happen during his second term, however. Instead, Trump has focused on leaving his mark on the nation’s capital through several high-profile projects, including constructing a new ballroom adjacent to the White House, designing a large ceremonial arch, and overseeing renovations to some of Washington’s most recognized landmarks and public areas.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who previously served as governor of North Dakota, is expected to accompany Trump on the trip. The president will make the journey aboard the Qatari jumbo jet that was donated to him for use as Air Force One for the remainder of his time in office — his second flight on the aircraft.
The anniversary festivities are unfolding at a politically complicated moment for Trump, who is navigating rising gas prices tied to the U.S.-Israeli military conflict with Iran, along with growing anxiety among Republican lawmakers worried the conflict could cost the party control of one or more chambers of Congress in November’s midterm elections.
