Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake recently declared on Twitter that former President Donald Trump's face should be added to Mount Rushmore—a mountain sacred to local indigenous peoples and known as Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe (The Six Grandfathers) in Lakota—even tagging South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem and asking if she could make it happen.
Who thinks President Trump should be added to Mt. Rushmore? \n\n@govkristinoem can we make this happen?pic.twitter.com/2o0ThtRnjG— Kari Lake for AZ Governor (@Kari Lake for AZ Governor) 1632806602
Shortly after she tweeted her bonkers suggestion, Trump endorsed Lake's run for governor.
Trump sang her praises in a statement released on Tuesday:
"She is strong on Crime, will protect our Border, Second Amendment, Military, and Vets, and will fight to restore Election Integrity (both past and future!)."
"She is against Covid lockdowns, Cancel Culture, and will end 'woke' curriculum in our schools. She will do a far better job than RINO Governor Doug Ducey--won't even be a contest!
Trump turned against sitting governor Doug Ducey after Ducey opted to certify his state's election results after the 2020 election.
Lake has also historically been a devoted Trump supporter. She tweeted disinformation about the First Amendment when Trump was banned from social media platforms in early 2021.
Twitter users were quick to drag Lake, and Trump, for her bizarre tweet.
You want a king, not a president. \n\nAll four Presidents on Rushmore were dead when they began Mt. Rushmore. \n\nWe don't build idols to living leaders. Monarchies do.— Political Spoon (@Political Spoon) 1632882672
Exactly. Then claim it's not a cult.— Bravo Cupcake \ud83d\ude37\u2665\ufe0f\ud83d\udc89\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Bravo Cupcake \ud83d\ude37\u2665\ufe0f\ud83d\udc89\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1632843174
I\u2019m curious, Kari. Exactly what did Trump offer you for your soul?— George Raymond (@George Raymond) 1632872271
This is embarrassing. Have you no shame?— Bill Taggard (@Bill Taggard) 1632852594
LMFAO. Is that a serious statement? In years to come, I hope you have the opportunity to look back on this moment and feel the shame and embarrassment that will come from knowing that you supported a seditious, corrupt, incompetent, ignorant autocrat rather than your country.— ManchesterMet (@ManchesterMet) 1632913325
Several people pointed out that Mt. Rushmore is a national park, therefore Noam has no control over it at all.
It's a National Park, Noem has no control over it.— Nancy Van Susteren (@Nancy Van Susteren) 1632875296
If you don\u2019t know that Mt. Rushmore is on federal land you probably shouldn\u2019t be the Governor of a state.— Million Dollar Mullet (@Million Dollar Mullet) 1632882572
Lake, a staunch Republican, is a former news anchor for Arizona's Fox 10 Phoenix. She was taking a break for personal reasons earlier this year, before announcing that she was leaving TV news completely in March because she didn't agree with changes in the field since she started, according to AZcentral. She announced her intent to run for Governor on June 1st.
Lake is known for her occasionally bizarre tweets, including a debunked video about the pandemic that she shared on Twitter in spring 2020.
Given her propensity for sharing the same kind of content as the former President before he was banned from all mainstream social media platforms, it should come as no surprise that Trump chose to support her candidacy. It remains to be seen whether his glowing endorsement will help or hurt her election chances.
