Don’t put Trump on Mount Rushmore!

A wave of recent Republican bills aim to glorify Trump by putting his face on Mount Rushmore and U.S. currency, and his name on airports, transit systems, and the Kennedy Center. One piece of legislation would even make Trump’s birthday a national holiday.

Trump loyalist Rep. Andy Ogles recently urged the government to put Trump on Mount Rushmore. After saying the White House is ushering in “America’s Golden Age,” Ogles added, “it is essential that we immortalize President Trump’s likeness on Mount Rushmore.”

This is how political parties operate under authoritarian regimes. Sitting presidents don’t belong on money, monuments, airports, and landmarks — especially not Trump, who has defied the rule of law and threatened our democracy like no president before.

If it were up to Republicans, Trump would be on Rushmore, the Kennedy Center Opera House would change to “Melania Trump Opera House,” the D.C. metro and airport would be named for Trump, Trump’s face would go on the $100 bill, and even the coastal waters of the U.S. would be named after him.

The drive to put Trump’s face on Mount Rushmore is particularly disturbing because the monument is built in the Black Hills on unceded Lakota territory — deeply important land that the U.S. government stole from Native Americans. And the person who led the construction of Mount Rushmore had ties to the KKK.

Just like Trump’s grotesque and wasteful military parade, glorifying a sitting president with national statues, monuments, currency, and holidays is another act of authoritarianism.

It's outrageous, undemocratic, and dangerous. We can’t let Republicans use our government to glorify Trump and attack the foundations of our country.