Fact check: CNN described Mt Rushmore called celebration of white supremacy and Trump will stand before two former slave owners on land wrestled away from Native Americans

1. Summary of the results

The CNN statement is factually accurate in its core claims. Mount Rushmore indeed features two former slave owners - George Washington and Thomas Jefferson ^[1], and was built on land that was taken from Native Americans, specifically the Black Hills, which were guaranteed to Sioux tribes by the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty ^[2]. The Supreme Court ruled in 1980 that this seizure was illegal under the Fifth Amendment ^[2].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several crucial pieces of context were omitted from the original statement:

• The land was not just "wrestled away" but was specifically protected by treaty and was seized after gold was discovered in the region ^[2]
• The monument's sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, had direct affiliations with the Ku Klux Klan ^[1]
• The site was originally called "Six Grandfathers Mountain" and was sacred to nearly 60 Native tribes ^{[3] [1]}
• All four presidents depicted have problematic histories regarding racial issues:
• Washington and Jefferson were slave owners
• Roosevelt used the phrase "the only good Indian is a dead Indian"
• Lincoln ordered the execution of Dakota people ^[3]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

While the CNN statement isn't technically incorrect, it potentially understates the complexity and severity of the situation:

• The description "wrestled away" could be seen as euphemistic, given that the land was actually protected by treaty and illegally seized, as confirmed by the Supreme Court ^[2]
• Native American activists view the monument as more than just a celebration of white supremacy - they see it as a symbol of "genocide" and active "injustice" ^[4]
• Indigenous leaders like Nick Tilsen are actively calling for the land to be returned to Indigenous people ^[1]

The narrative benefits different groups:

• Government institutions benefit from downplaying the illegal nature of the land acquisition
• Native American groups benefit from highlighting the monument's problematic history in their ongoing efforts to reclaim their sacred lands
• Media organizations benefit from the controversy surrounding the monument's history and symbolism