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Trump says Democrats want to ‘blow up’ Mount Rushmore and take down Washington Monument

'Abraham Lincoln you can forget about it. They want to take down all statutes, all monuments in Washington'

Justin Vallejo
New York
Friday 04 September 2020 01:59 BST
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Trump in front of Mount Rushmore at South Dakota’s Independence Day event
Trump in front of Mount Rushmore at South Dakota’s Independence Day event

Donald Trump said Democrats want to blow up Mount Rushmore and take down the Washington Monument in his latest attack on cities removing historical statues and renaming landmarks.

Speaking at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, Mr Trump said his poll numbers have been going up "like a beautiful rocket" ever since his Independence Day speech at Mount Rushmore.

"If you would see how beautiful this is, it was like this perfect evening. The Sun was setting. The faces of these great, great majestic heroes of our country, right. Heroes of our country," Mr Trump said.

"And they want to blow up Mount Rushmore."

The president has escalated his rhetoric against the removal or renaming monuments and buildings after Washington DC mayor Muriel Bowser this week published a list of historical figures who should be erased or "contextualized" from public property.

The report recommended the renaming of dozens of schools, parks, and government buildings, including the Washington Monument and the Jefferson Memorial.

As well as seven US president, figures such as Benjamin Franklin and Francis Scott Key were named in the report for their connections to slavery and oppression.

The White House seized on the recommendations, saying in a statement that the radically liberal mayor should be ashamed for suggesting revisions to monuments that the president believes should be preserved and passed on for generations.

Mr Trump continued the criticism on Thursday, joking that "Christopher Columbus is in big trouble".

"But how about this one, the Democrats yesterday came out with a plan, did you see it, now, they're the DC Democrats, they want to change the name of the Washington Monument, perhaps take it down," he said.

"Thomas Jefferson, pretty good Thomas Jefferson right, you can forget about ever hearing that name again. Abraham Lincoln you can forget about it. They want to take down all statutes all monuments in Washington."

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