Trump Statue Joins Rapid City’s “City of Presidents” Trail

After spending the summer on display at the visitor center, a bronze statue of President Donald Trump was permanently installed Tuesday morning at the corner of St. Joseph Street and Sixth Street. The piece now stands alongside 43 other presidential figures featured on Rapid City’s “City of Presidents” trail.
Unveiled on May 3, the statue portrays Trump at a podium, phone in hand, with a Twitter logo visible — a nod to his distinctive use of social media as a communication tool.
“Regardless of political views, everyone can agree he was the first president to fully harness social media to speak directly to the public,” said Laurie Sutterer, visitor services manager at Visit Rapid City. “Each statue captures both history and personality, and this one reflects that.”
Sutterer noted that the statue drew no incidents while housed at the visitor center, but reminded the public to treat all figures with respect. “There are cameras everywhere,” she said. “If vandalism occurs, Visit Rapid City and the City of Rapid City will pursue legal action, no matter which statue is involved.”
The audio tour entry for Trump’s statue will be updated after his second term concludes.
While Trump is the first sitting president to be represented on the trail, he is not the first to serve nonconsecutive terms. Grover Cleveland, who held office twice in the 19th century, is already commemorated with a single statue. Organizers confirmed there are no plans to add a second Trump statue.