Is Mt Rushmore Victim of Trump's Washington DC 'vanity' Projects?

Saturday, July 04, 2026

As Trump spoke for America's 250th anniversary at Mount Rushmore, which features the faces of four presidents carved into a mountain, the iconic monument is badly in need of repairs. But a house report say an usual amount park fees are being used for Trump's "beautification" projects in Washington D.C. "Credible sources with direct knowledge of these matters have now reported to Congress that much, if not all, fee revenue from online America the Beautiful Passes is being used to fund the President's "beautification" projects in Washington," says a June 23 letter from California Sen. Adam Schiff and colleagues to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. "This means that this revenue is not being directed to national parks across the country."

Posted by LampLighter at 12:33 PM | 7 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

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If you're traveling to a National Park this summer, you may see huge visitor numbers, sharply reduced staffing, scrapped reservation systems and higher entry fees for nonresidents. Here's why.

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-- The New York Times (@nytimes.com) 2:25 PM Â· Jun 22, 2026

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More from the article ...

... Meanwhile, the Trump administration is redirecting tens of millions of dollars from fees paid to the NPS to fund "President Trump's vanity projects" in Washington, say House and Senate Democrats, citing reports and information revealed to Congress. ...

Trump has undertaken various projects in Washington, D.C., and the White House, including repair of water fountains in Lafayette Square, the East Wing Ballroom and the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Many of these projects have drawn criticism for a variety of reasons, including not seeking congressional approval and awarding no-bid contracts.

An analysis of federal contract data by USA TODAY found that 20 days before Trump first announced the renovation of the reflecting pool, the government had already committed $8.5 million to fix the pool, even though the president said it would cost $2 million.

Under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act of 2004, at least 80% of the entrance fees paid onsite must be retained and used at the national park where the fees are collected. The remaining 20% can be used to improve parks that don't charge entrance fees.

In addition, Democratic lawmakers also assert that the revenue from the sale of digital "America the Beautiful Passes" appears to be funding some of these projects "without any guardrails or transparency." ...

#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-07-03 07:46 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

Blow it the ---- up. Crash a 747 into the White House. Set fire to Mar-A-Pedo . Burn it all down.

#2 | Posted by LegallyYourDead at 2026-07-03 10:58 PM | Reply

White House says there'd be 'no better addition' to Mount Rushmore than Trump ahead of 250 celebration
abcnews.com

#3 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-07-03 11:24 PM | Reply

Ah, Mt. Rushmore, spiritual child of Stone Mountain, another creation of that old fellow traveler with the KKK Gustav Borglum. On land stolen from the Lakotas, no less, who turned down the feds offer of financial compensation for that injustice - because they want the damn Hills back. With the Crazy Horse sculptor's family grift down the road, too, also on land taken by genocidal killing. It's a good old American look, that's for sure.

#4 | Posted by Doc_Sarvis at 2026-07-04 05:25 AM | Reply

I'd sooner donate to the Crazy Horse monument. crazyhorsememorial.org

Rushmore just pretty much sucks. Never looks as good as it did in "North by Northwest".
Cruising the Black Hills and Badlands NP is quite pleasant, however. As long as you avoid it like the plague around the Sturgis rally.
In practice, I avoid all the Nat Parks between Memorial Day and Labor Day as I hate crowds and, especially, crowds of screaming children.

#5 | Posted by morris at 2026-07-04 12:47 PM | Reply

OK, I just read up more on the Crazy Horse thing, so, screw that. I thought it was the Tribes' response to Rushmore. Learn something new ...
Cruising SW South Dakota is still fun, though. Only 500 miles to Wall Drug...

#6 | Posted by morris at 2026-07-04 12:52 PM | Reply

With the Crazy Horse sculptor's family grift down the road, too, also on land taken by genocidal killing. It's a good old American look, that's for sure.

#4 | Posted by Doc_Sarvis

My wife and I went to the (private, family-owned) Crazy Horse site in 1993. 30 years later, there has been only a little progress.

A grift indeed!

#7 | Posted by AMERICANUNITY at 2026-07-04 01:28 PM | Reply