In a blistering op-ed published by The Hill, columnist David McLennan, who is a professor of political science at Meredith College in Raleigh, N.C., and the director of the Meredith Poll, predicted that President Donald Trump’s stunt at Mount Rushmore “will backfire.”
“From the moment Donald Trump descended the escalator at Trump Tower to announce his presidential aspirations, he has been very concerned about the appearance of his political events. But his decision to speak at an Independence Day celebration at Mount Rushmore will surely backfire,” McLennan writes.
“Trump won’t do himself any favors” by standing in front of a monument to great and beloved leaders on July 3,” he explained before adding that it won’t help solve the biggest problem he’s facing at the moment: “declining approval ratings and poll numbers” that show him significantly behind Democrat Joe Biden in his reelection bid.”
“Since being elected, President Trump has often spoken about Mount Rushmore, and has even commented to South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem about his dream of being the fifth president on Mount Rushmore,” he continued.
The rally at the beloved monument “will not help Trump get his visage carved into the rock face, and it certainly won’t help him get reelected,” McLennan says.
“Questions about the viability of Trump’s reelection have been amplified by the viral photograph of a disheveled president getting off Air Force One after the Tulsa, Okla., rally. Speaking in front of the granite faces of the four presidents is a bad visual for a president concerned about being the biggest presence in any space,” he writes.
“No matter how the president’s advance team positions the stage, Trump will be dwarfed by the 60-ft carvings of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. This visual diminishment cannot be overcome with thousands of supporters or a fireworks display.”
He added: “The visual association with the four presidents invites viewers to compare Trump’s accomplishments to the presidents in the background.” And you don’t need to be a political science expert to know the result.
read the entire column here.