Republicans have moved to honor President Donald Trump with a number of bills, including one to carve his face next to the others on Mount Rushmore.
The South Dakota national memorial shows the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. Carving began in 1927 and was completed in 1941, according to the National Park Service.
The bill introduced in January to add Trump’s face to the monument did not elaborate how he would fit (nor has it advanced in Congress.) But the original sculptor once said he doubted anyone else could fit on the monument, as NBC News reported.
So how else will Trump be memorialized if not for Mount Rushmore? Here is what we know:
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Bill to put Trump on Mount Rushmore stalled
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Florida, introduced a bill in January proposing to carve Trump into Mount Rushmore.
Luna’s announcement of the bill, which did not include any details on the timing or funding of the project, included a rendering of Trump’s figure in stone next to Lincoln’s.
“President Trump’s bold leadership and steadfast dedication to America’s greatness have cemented his place in history,” Luna said in a press release. “Mount Rushmore, a timeless symbol of our nation’s freedom and strength, deserves to reflect his towering legacy — a legacy further solidified by the powerful start to his second term.”
The bill has not moved past the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Mount Rushmore artist said no room for fifth person
In a letter to Eleanor Roosevelt, archived by the Theodore Roosevelt Center at Dickinson State University, Mount Rushmore’s sculptor Gutzon Borglum explained that the “stone limitations are so serious” that a fifth head would likely not be possible.
The letter typed in 1936 appears to respond to her proposal to include suffragist Susan B. Anthony on the memorial. Borglum also explained that the monument was created after much debate to represent a “brief, definite statement.”
“If Mount Rushmore were simply a gallery of the immortals, I would have selected a mountain range that would have admitted twice as many of our great outside of politics, who have given more, whose services will ensure longer than the bulk of our official world,” the letter read.
Several bills honoring Trump did not make it out of Congress. This one did
Washington D.C. airport – Rep. Addison McDowell, R-North Carolina, introduced legislation in January to rename Washington Dulles International Airport to Donald J. Trump International Airport, but it failed in committee earlier this year.
Washington D.C. train – Rep. Greg Steube, R-Florida, in May introduced the “Make Autorail Great Again Act,” designed to rename the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to the “Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access” (WMAGA) and the Metro train as the “Trump Train.” It was referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
$100 bills – In March, Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, introduced the Golden Age Act of 2025, which would require $100 bills to feature a picture of Trump on their face. The $100 bill currently features Benjamin Franklin. It was referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
$500 bills – A 2024 bill called for printing a $500 bill with Trump’s face on it. (A $500 note was last printed in 1945; it had been discontinued due to lack of use.) It did not move past the Financial Services Committee.
Trump accounts – As part of the Republicans’ tax plan passed in July, babies born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028, will receive a $1,000 contribution to a savings account. The program was once known as the “MAGA accounts” but was renamed to “Trump accounts” during the legislative process.
Contributing: Francesca Chambers, Dan Morrison, Kathryn Palmer, Fernando Cervantes Jr., Medora Lee, Veronica Bravo, Jim Sergent, USA TODAY
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump on Mount Rushmore? Original sculptor said 5th head not possible
