A bronze statue of Melania Trump was sawed off at the ankles and stolen this week in the first lady’s native Slovenia, police said.
The original wooden statue, which was initially placed near Melania Trump’s hometown of Sevnica, was replaced by a new one in 2020 following an arson incident at the end of President Donald Trump’s first term.
Both statues were a collaboration between Brad Downey, an artist from Kentucky, and a local craftsman, Ales “Maxi” Zupevc.
This new statue, sculpted by artist Brad Downey, captures Melania Trump’s likeness in a bronze figure, wearing a blue coat resembling the one she wore during President Trump’s inauguration ceremony in 2017.
“I think no one was really proud at this statue, not even the first lady of the USA,” Kranjc said. “So, I think it’s OK that it’s removed.”
Downey clarified that the original wooden statue had faced vandalism and it deserved to be replaced with a more durable and lasting material like bronze.
The statue was a rustic likeness of the first lady. (Getty Images)
“I plugged in my angle grinder. … I worked and made mistakes … finished the hair … the eyes and all. Then, I called my brother, who said, ‘Spitting image of our waitress.’ And so it was,” Zupevc said during a documentary film by Downey on the making of the original statue.
A plaque next to the statue says it is “dedicated to the eternal memory of a monument to Melania which stood at this location.”
Born Melanija Knavs in nearby Novo Mesto in 1970, the first lady grew up in Sevnica while Slovenia was part of the Communist-ruled former Yugoslavia. An Alpine nation of 2 million people, Slovenia is now a member of the European Union and NATO.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
