A bronze, life-sized statue of President Donald Trump has a new home on a Rapid City street corner. It’s the first time a statue has been installed for a president while in office.
A few drill holes, a Bobcat forklift, and some screws were all it took for the president to find his new home, right in the heart of downtown Rapid City.
That prime real estate, on the corner between Block 5 and the Hotel Alex Johnson, means Trump has notable neighbors: George Washington, Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter. Laurie Sutterer is the visit service manager for Visit Rapid City. She explained how placement of presidential statues is decided.
“Of course, Andrew Johnson was first put there, but he was moved when the Hyatt Place was first constructed, and Richard Nixon was on the other corner," Sutterer said. "Now, that corner where Richard Nixon was, there’s not enough room for a president at this time. Now, when Biden does come out, there will have to be a decision – do we go further down on Main Street or do we go over onto Kansas City Street.”
Sutterer said the Biden statue is expected to be installed in the next two years. Additionally, Donald Trump will follow in the footsteps of Grover Cleveland, the only other president to serve two non-consecutive terms, and will only get a single statue.
“Our City of Presidents isn’t about politics folks, it’s about history as well as art,” Sutterer said.
That can be seen in the way the statues often define the legacy of their subjects. One key piece of the Trump puzzle has been his use of social media. On his statue’s podium is a smartphone with the Twitter logo.
“McKinley, I believe, has a phone to his ear – he took the first phone call in the White House," Sutterer said. "Taft has a baseball behind his back – he did the first pitch of the MLB for a president. I think everyone, pro-Trump or not, can agree he was the first one to utilize social media to the extent of communicating with the general public.”
The unveiling event was low-key, considering the windstorm hitting the area. However, a handful of people and some tourists did brave the cold to watch the instillation.
