I was reading a survey that was conducted among current and former members of the American Political Science Association, and one of the questions was Which president should join Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt on Mt. Rushmore. Apparently, Franklin Delano Roosevelt is the clear winner (again).
Is there a process or is it even feasible to add to the Mt. Rushmore National Memorial, or is the current lineup set in stone?
No, this doesn't seem possible:
According to the U.S. National Parks, there’s simply no room for any more additions to Mount Rushmore. Besides, the rock that surrounds the sculpted faces is not suitable for additional carving. David Barna, chief spokesman of the National Park Service, informs me that when Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor of Mount Rushmore died in 1941, his son Lincoln Borglum closed the project and indicated that no more carvable rock existed.
Since 1989, the National Park Service has worked with RESPEC, a rock mechanics engineering firm, to study the structural stability of the sculpture and to install rock block monitoring devices that assure long-term preservation of the sculpture. “RESPEC supports our long held belief,’’ Barna says, “that no other rock near the sculpted faces is suitable for additional carving.’’ RESPEC additionally believes that if additional work were undertaken it is possible that exposing new surfaces could result in major instabilities within the existing carving.
In addition, it may also not be considered desirable:
Aside from the structural barriers, the Mount Rushmore National Memorial strongly believes the four presidential figures in place in the Black Hills of South Dakota and the ideals and meaning for which it was originally founded is fully representative without any new additions. As Barna explains it, Mount Rushmore “is one man’s artistic interpretation, and a tribute to that period of our nation’s history. The National Park Service takes the position that death stayed the hand of the artist and the work is complete in its present form.’’
A high ranking high ranking member of the executive branch reportedly was serious about being added. According to Fox News:
“[Trump] said, ‘Kristi, come on over here. Shake my hand,’” Noem said, according to the newspaper.
“I shook his hand, and I said, ‘Mr. President, you should come to South Dakota sometime. We have Mount Rushmore.'
“And he goes, 'Do you know it's my dream to have my face on Mount Rushmore?'"
Noem thought the president was joking, the paper reported.
“I started laughing,” she said. “He wasn't laughing, so he was totally serious.”
No one from the White House responded when the Argus Leader checked to verify the story. But the newspaper noted that Trump did mention Mount Rushmore during a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, last July.
This answer wouldn't be complete without the relevant visual aid (image from the Daily Mail):
Unfortunately, the people involved do not comment on the process of adding another person tot the carving. Regardless of that, given these rumours by high-ranking officials and the lack of denial from the White House, this might be the start of a process (even if it's not carved in stone yet).
