Trump's Vanity Projects Blamed for Mount Rushmore Neglect

[riversedge]

Trump’s Vanity Projects Blamed for Mount Rushmore Neglect
‘TOWERING LEGACY’
The president is accused of siphoning park fee revenue to fund his Washington vanity projects.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-vanity-projects-blamed-for-mount-rushmore-neglect/?utm_source=twitter_owned_snd&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=owned_social

Leigh Kimmins Published Jul. 3 2026 11:07AM EDT


President Donald Trump’s various vanity projects are using up money intended to fix Mount Rushmore.

The iconic site needs $57 million in repairs it isn’t getting, and Democrats say they know where the money went. They are accusing the Trump administration of redirecting tens of millions of dollars in national park fee revenue to fund the 80-year-old president’s Washington “beautification” projects, leaving landmarks like Mount Rushmore to deteriorate.

The National Park Service faces a deferred maintenance backlog of more than $24.2 billion nationwide as of the end of fiscal 2025.

At the center of the dispute is revenue from the online sale of “America the Beautiful” national park passes. Unlike fees collected at park gates—which by law must largely stay at the park where they’re collected—online pass revenue carries no such restrictions. ................................

[NoRethugFriends]

1. Well, I'm all in favor of neglecting Mt. Rushmore