Melania Trump’s Life-Size Statue In Slovenia Burned Down On Fourth Of July

KEY POINTS

Melania Trump's statue in Slovenia was burned down on the Fourth of July
The First Lady's sculpture in her home country received mixed reactions from locals and tourists
One man praised Melania for being a good wife and mother but described the statue as "awful"

Melania Trump's statue in her home country was set on fire on the Fourth of July.

The First Lady has a life-size sculpture near hear hometown of Sevnica in Slovenia. However, it was burned down when the U.S. celebrated its Independence Day.

According to Brad Downey, a Berlin-based American artist, he had the blackened and disfigured sculpture removed as soon as he was informed of the incident.

“I want to know why they did it,” Downey told Reuters.

He was hoping that Melania’s statue would foster a dialogue about the political situation in the U.S. and highlight Melania’s status as an immigrant married to the U.S. president who wanted to reduce immigration.

Downey already filed a police report and he would like to interview the culprits, if identified and found.

“The investigation in this case has not been completed yet so we cannot reveal details due to the interest of further procedures,” police spokeswoman Alenka Drenik told Reuters.

The statue’s face was rough-hewn and didn’t really look like Melania. However, it was painted with a pale blue wraparound coat similar to what the FLOTUS wore during President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

In 2019, David C. Henley wrote an op-ed for Nevada Appeal about Melania’s sculpture after discovering it when he and his wife visited Ljubljana, Slovenia’s capital and largest city. The statue was carved by a local sculptor named Ales Zupevc and commissioned by Downey. Aside from highlighting Melania’s immigrant background, it aimed to show the visitors “her ancestral region through local eyes.”

Henley spoke with various tourists and locals about Melania’s statue. According to him, it received mixed reactions from others who saw it, with some describing it as “beautiful,” “ugly,” “a joke,” “laughable” and “just wonderful.”

“Donald Trump is a disaster. He is disgusting and he is a fascist,” one man told him when asked about the statue.

“Melania is a good wife and mother, but she’s not come home to Slovenia since her husband became your president nearly three years ago. And she’s done really nothing to publicize our country and help us get more tourists. And the statue is awful.”