Trump Sitting Cross-Legged in Meditation... The Statue Made 4 Years Ago Gains Popularity Again

Trump Statue Created by Chinese Potter in 2021
Buddha-Like Appearance Draws Attention... Sold for Up to 4 Million KRW
Gaining Popularity Ahead of Trump’s Inauguration on the 20th

With Donald Trump, the President-elect of the United States, set to be inaugurated on the 20th (local time), a ‘Trump Buddha statue’ created by a Chinese potter is gaining renewed attention. On the 13th, AFP reported, "The sculpture made by Hong Jinshi (洪金世), a potter from Xiamen, Fujian Province, in 2021, is gaining popularity again ahead of his inauguration." The statue depicts Trump sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, appearing to meditate, hence it is called a Buddha statue. It is known to have been created shortly after former President Trump completed his first presidential term in 2021.

A sculpture made by a Chinese sculptor modeled after Donald Trump, the President-elect of the United States. Baidu

When the statue was first sold in 2021, it featured the phrase "Make Your Company Great Again," a parody of Trump’s signature slogan "Make America Great Again." The price of the statue varied depending on its size, selling for up to 20,000 yuan (approximately 4 million KRW) on online shopping platforms. According to Amazon, the largest commerce platform in the U.S., counterfeit versions are currently being sold for $45 (about 66,000 KRW).

When the statue first appeared, Chinese media reported, "Former President Trump is regarded as a representative of an era and an extreme egoist," adding, "The Trump Buddha statue implies that one should not behave like Trump."

Potter Hong Jinshi expressed his thoughts, saying, "At first, I made the statue as a joke." He told AFP, "I have sold hundreds of these statues over the past few years, and since the end of last year after Trump’s election, more people have been seeking the work again." He explained the reason for the statue’s renewed popularity as "because Trump’s real personality is completely opposite to the appearance of the statue."

He also plans to create a statue of Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and a close associate of Trump. AFP reported, "The envisioned statue of Musk is like a Marvel movie superhero and billionaire Iron Man, wearing metal armor. Additionally, a large rocket is protruding from Musk’s groin." This is said to symbolize Musk’s ambition as the leader of the space company SpaceX.

Although the concept might seem to satirize CEO Musk, Hong Jinshi expressed respect for him. He praised, "CEO Musk is a businessman who has achieved things no country could, such as significantly lowering the cost of rockets."