Iowa state Rep. Steven Holt told Newsmax on Wednesday that he would "love to consider" adding President Donald Trump to Mount Rushmore, arguing that Trump is fighting to "save the republic" and remains popular across Iowa.
Speaking on Newsmax's "National Report," Holt said Iowa has embraced Trump because he is following through on his campaign pledges and advancing what Holt described as "common-sense conservative policies."
Trump delivered his first midterm election campaign speech of the new year Tuesday in Clive, Iowa.
He urged the crowd to defy historical trends and preserve his Republican majorities in Congress.
"Iowa is Trump country," Holt said. "President Trump is delivering on his promises. And he's enacting common-sense conservative policies."
Holt said those policies resonate with Iowans because the state's voters support traditional values and what he called the principles that shaped the nation.
"Iowa loves that because, you know, we believe in common sense and we believe in the values that founded our country," Holt said. "And so President Trump is spot on."
Holt also pointed to Trump's broader political battle as a reason for his strong reception in the state, claiming the president is facing intense opposition from political opponents on the left.
"And all of the things that he's doing, I would love to consider putting him on Mount Rushmore," Holt said.
"Because, frankly, the folks on that mountain have done key things in our history to save the republic."
Mount Rushmore, located in South Dakota's Black Hills, features the carved faces of four U.S. presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln, leaders often associated with the country's founding, expansion, development, and preservation.
Holt compared Trump's current political efforts to what he described as the historic contributions of those presidents, saying Trump is "literally engaged in a battle to save the republic."
He accused "leftists" of pushing policies he believes are harmful to the country, saying they "have lost their minds," and argued that Trump's pushback against those forces has fueled support among conservative voters.
Holt said that dynamic helps explain why Trump's agenda has been "well received in Iowa," adding that the president is doing "all the things he promised he would do."
The comments come as Trump continues to draw strong support in Republican-leaning states, with allies increasingly elevating him as a transformational figure in modern American politics.
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Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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