Trump on Mt. Rushmore? Former CIA Advisor Says It’s Not As Far-Fetched As It Sounds

Historic $150 trillion mineral endowment may become the cornerstone of Trump’s economic legacy

/EIN News/ -- WASHINGTON, May 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Could Donald Trump’s face one day be carved into Mt. Rushmore? According to a former White House advisor, it’s not as far-fetched as it may sound.

“Donald Trump could become a national hero… one of the most powerful Presidents in memory,” says Jim Rickards, a former CIA and U.S. Treasury advisor.

“I won’t be surprised if his face gets chiseled into Mt. Rushmore.”

Rickards isn’t referring to campaign slogans or foreign policy—but to a $150 trillion “national inheritance” that has remained hidden for generations beneath federal lands. Thanks to a recent Supreme Court decision, he says, that wealth is finally being unlocked.

“It’s enough to make every single family in America millionaires,” Rickards explains. “Enough to pay off the national debt, four times over. This ‘trust fund’ is not a pile of money to be equally distributed… It’s not part of a government program or handout,” Rickards explains.

A Legacy Hidden in the Land

According to Rickards, the opportunity stems from a provision embedded in Title 30 of the U.S. Code, which he says formed the legal basis for a mineral-rich “national trust fund” over 160 years ago.

“Despite giving away 10% of all land in the United States… the government retained the most valuable part. For 163 years, it’s held on to it.”

“This isn’t cash or bonds or gold—it’s physical resources buried beneath our feet.”

For decades, that wealth was inaccessible—choked off by federal regulations enforced through a legal doctrine known as Chevron.

The Supreme Court’s Quiet Reversal Changes Everything

Rickards says the 2024 repeal of the Chevron Doctrine by the Trump-appointed Supreme Court has now shifted the balance—limiting federal agency power and reopening access to the country’s mineral wealth.

“They gave agencies like the EPA ‘kill shot’ power,” Rickards says. “We have massive mineral wealth here… but the government got in the way.”

“Now… for the first time in half a century—we can go get them.”

With the red tape cleared, Rickards says Trump is laying the foundation for a generational economic shift—one rooted in domestic resource development rather than foreign dependence.

About Jim Rickards

Jim Rickards is an economist, attorney, and former advisor to the CIA, Pentagon, and U.S. Treasury. Over the course of his career, he helped co-create the Petrodollar Accord, played a key role in the Iran Hostage Crisis resolution, and has advised senior government officials on financial crises and national security matters.

Today, Rickards serves as the publisher of Strategic Intelligence, a monthly briefing on critical political and economic developments shaping America’s future.

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Derek Warren
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