KEYSTONE, S.D. (WJW)– South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is promising to protect Mount Rushmore as more monuments come down across the country.
The massive sculpture shows the faces of U.S. Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln in the Black Hills region of the state.
When conservative commentator Ben Shapiro tweeted, “So, when is our woke historical revisionist priesthood going to insist on blowing up Mount Rushmore?” Noem was quick to respond.
“Not on my watch,” the governor posted on Twitter on Tuesday.
It’s unclear if there are any current, credible plans to deface or destroy Mount Rushmore.
In the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody, protesters have vandalized and toppled Confederate monuments, while some cities opted to separate themselves from symbols of slavery.
On Tuesday, officials in Charleston, South Carolina unanimously voted to remove a statue of former vice president and slavery advocate John C. Calhoun. The statue sits at the top of a monument in a downtown square.
Last week in Columbus, Columbus State Community College removed its statue of Christopher Columbus, while Mayor Andrew Ginther announced its statue will be removed from city hall.
![In this photo released by The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, shows officials burning seized drugs in Niamey, Niger, Monday, June 26, 2023. Drug seizures soared in the West African Sahel region according to figures released Friday April 19, 2024 in a new U.N. report, indicating the conflict-ridden region is becoming an influential route for drug trafficking. In 2022, 1,466 kilograms, [3,232 pounds], of cocaine were seized in Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso and Niger compared to an average of 13 kilograms [28.7 pounds] between 2013 and 2020 , said the report from the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime. (UNODC via AP)](https://www.qcnews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/109/2024/04/66227f1eb939f2.57052364.jpeg?strip=1)
