Bronze Statue of Melania Trump in Hometown Disappears
Only Severed Ankles Remain at the Scene
The bronze statue of First Lady Melania Trump, wife of former U.S. President Donald Trump, which was erected in her hometown of Sevnica, Slovenia, has disappeared, leaving only the severed ankles behind.
According to Yonhap News, citing CNN on May 17, Slovenian police have launched an investigation after receiving a report that the statue of Melania, displayed by the riverside in the small town of Rozno near the capital Ljubljana, recently went missing. Local Slovenian media reported that the statue was removed after its ankles were sawed off.
The life-sized statue of Melania was erected in 2020 near her hometown of Sevnica. The original statue was made of wood but was destroyed by fire, prompting the creation of a new one. The work was created by American contemporary artist Brad Downey. The artist's intention was to highlight the contradiction of Melania, an immigrant, marrying President Trump, who is known for his anti-immigrant stance.
However, local residents were divided in their opinions about the wooden statue. It was damaged by arson just one year after its installation in 2019. Afterwards, Downey commissioned Slovenian conceptual artist Ales Zupevc to create a bronze statue in the same likeness, which was installed in 2020 at the same location. The wooden statue damaged by arson was later exhibited in art museums in Slovenia and Croatia.
Stolen statue of Melania (left) and previous statue damaged by arson (right). Photo by AFP Yonhap News
Both Melania herself and her parents are originally from Slovenia, which was once part of the former Yugoslavia. Melania became a U.S. citizen in 2005 after marrying Trump, and her father and mother also obtained U.S. citizenship in 2018 through the family-based immigration program during Trump’s first term as president. The elderly couple is reported to have lived in Palm Beach, Florida, where Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort is located.
In Sevnica, about 90 kilometers east of the Slovenian capital Ljubljana, numerous products have been created bearing Melania’s name, including cakes and chocolates.
Meanwhile, after Trump took office as U.S. president, Slovenia hoped that Melania would one day visit her homeland, but this has yet to happen.
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