Trump Baselessly Claims ‘Communists’ Want to ‘Blow Up’ Mount Rushmore

President Donald Trump recently escalated his rhetoric by labelling progressives as “communists” during a rally in Georgia, as the Democratic Party gears up for the midterm elections. With polling data showing a favourable advantage for the Democrats, Trump’s provocative comments aim to rally his base amidst increasing concerns about the effectiveness of his approach.

At the rally held at Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia, Trump infamously claimed that “communists” are plotting to “blow up” Mount Rushmore. This statement followed his visit to Dover Air Base, where he attended a ceremony honouring the remains of four American service members lost in the ongoing conflict in Iran. Speaking to an energized crowd, Trump remarked on Mount Rushmore’s significance: “You know, the communists want to take it down. Try taking Mount Rushmore down; they want to blow it up. These people are crazy.”

These comments tie into remarks the president made earlier this month at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial while kicking off celebrations for America’s 250th birthday. There, he characterised communism as a grave threat to American freedom, drawing comparisons to historical events such as World Wars I and II, Pearl Harbor, and the September 11 attacks. “You can be loyal to Karl Marx, or you can be loyal to America,” he stated. “You cannot be both.”

As the upcoming midterms draw closer, Trump has increasingly employed the term “communist” to cast progressives as a dire menace. This tactic aims to energise the Republican base by linking contemporary Democratic candidates to a political ideology often tied to totalitarian regimes. Notably, some left-leaning politicians, such as notable figures within the democratic socialist movement, do not advocate for the communist regime types associated with dictatorial figures like Joseph Stalin or the North Korean leadership.

Trump’s comments seem to be a strategic response to recent victories by left-wing candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. During his speech, he incorrectly labelled these officials as communists, insisting, “They want to completely destroy the traditional American way of life. Communism is very easy to sell; it destroys everything, but it’s very easy.” He also boldly declared, “I think I’d be the greatest communist in history,” showcasing a dissonance in his perception of the term he is using.

The reasoning behind Trump’s assertion that Mount Rushmore is at risk remains vague. Over the years, calls to reconsider the monument’s existence have arisen, primarily from Native American groups such as the Cheyenne River Sioux, who contend that it occupies sacred tribal ground. However, there is no established movement within governmental circles advocating for its demolition.

In previous years, Trump has made light-hearted remarks about potentially joining the iconic faces on Mount Rushmore. During a 2017 speech in Ohio, he half-jokingly suggested the notion but stopped short of making a formal claim, wary of media misinterpretation. Similarly, in 2020, he dismissed a report that alleged his aides had inquired about expanding the monument but endorsed the idea on social media, indicating that it “sounds like a good idea to me.”

Nevertheless, experts caution that expanding the monument is not practically feasible. The National Park Service maintains that the original sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, meticulously selected George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln to embody pivotal eras in American history. Dan Wenk, former superintendent of Mount Rushmore, expressed the consensus against modifying the landmark, asserting, “You wouldn’t add another face to Borglum’s Mount Rushmore just like you wouldn’t add one to da Vinci’s ‘Last Supper.’”

With the midterms looming and political tensions running high, Trump’s strategy to label his opponents as “communists” reveals his commitment to energising his base with divisive rhetoric. As the events unfold, this approach may have far-reaching implications for both his campaign and the broader political landscape in America. As it stands, the intersection of historical symbolism and current political narratives is set to shape the discourse in the coming months.