Staff Reports
Last month, President Joe Biden made quite the splash by announcing that he wouldn’t be seeking another term in the Oval Office. For many Democrats, this news was met with a mix of relief and enthusiasm, the highlight being former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s audacious suggestion that Biden’s face should be carved into Mount Rushmore. Yes, you read that right—the same president who’s been struggling to finish a sentence might soon share granite real estate with Abraham Lincoln.
In a recent interview, Pelosi dubbed Biden as worthy of homage alongside America’s most revered leaders. When pressed on whether Biden’s likeness belonged on the iconic monument, she seemed unperturbed by the absurdity of the suggestion, claiming he is indeed deserving of such an honor. After all, if there’s room for Teddy Roosevelt, surely there can be an addition of Joe. Nothing says “successful presidency” quite like being next to stone-carved giants in a state where no one ever runs out of thoughts on barbecue and politics.
Nancy Pelosi just said that Joe Biden belongs on Mount Rushmore.
This comment doesn't seem so odd once you consider that Pelosi has been continuously drunk longer than you've been alive. pic.twitter.com/E8jLrGSO5y
— Axiomatic Enemy of the State (@DeTocqueville14) August 4, 2024
Despite the celebratory air among some Democrats, Pelosi had previously been one of the voices pushing Biden to end his camping trip back to the White House. While she might now be advocating for him to kick back and relax in a living monument, she also felt the heavy burden of responsibility to guide the old guard out the door. It’s almost impressive how quickly the narrative can flip from urging a resignation to suggesting a permanent place in American history.
Pelosi, ever the politician, vehemently denied any direct involvement in Biden’s decision to exit the race, claiming she didn’t call even one person to apply pressure. That’s a rather strong assertion, considering how many Democrats have been tiptoeing around the topic of Biden’s viability. She’s not the Queen of Pressure Campaigns, as she so eagerly insisted. Still, her transition from a push for him to bow out to suggesting he should occupy a place of honor is a feat of political gymnastics that could leave a seasoned athlete dizzy.
However, not everyone is ready to start chiseling Biden’s likeness into rock formations. Republicans have wasted no time mocking Pelosi’s wild idea, and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem wasted no time at all weighing in. She made it crystal clear that placing Biden alongside the likes of Lincoln and Roosevelt is ludicrous, pointing out that Biden’s presidency is marred by “mental decline” and a string of failures that could fill a novel—or perhaps even an entire library. With piercing critiques like those, it’s hard to see how Pelosi’s proposal could be met with anything but uproar and laughter from the Republican camp.
It seems the only monument Biden might truly deserve reminds Americans of the importance of vigilance at the ballot box and, perhaps, the need for more names competing for the presidency whose first instinct isn’t to take a nap in the middle of a crisis.
