Melania Trump’s statue in her hometown is gone — again.
The original wooden statue, carved with a chainsaw and placed near her hometown of Sevnica, Slovenia, was set on fire by vandals. Now, the bronze replacement is missing too — cut off at the ankles and taken.
Police confirmed the theft and launched an investigation. “The theft was reported on May 13 and immediately police officers visited the crime scene and launched an investigation,” police spokeswoman Alenka Drenik Rangus told the AFP.
The bronze version was installed in 2020 after the wooden statue was torched the year before. It stood on a tree stump in a private field, reinforced with concrete and metal bars.
American artist Brad Downey, who commissioned both pieces, said he found out about the theft while working in Germany.
“I’m a bit sad that it’s gone,” Downey told AFP.
He added that he suspects the act may be politically motivated.
“My feeling (is) that it has something to do with the new election (of Donald Trump), but who knows, right?”
Downey originally called the bronze version an “anti-monument, anti-propaganda” piece. It was meant to spark reflection, not glorify.
The first statue, made by Slovenian craftsman Ales Zupevc, showed Melania in a bright blue dress and heels — a nod to the outfit she wore at Donald Trump’s 2017 inauguration. That statue was burned down in 2019.
The bronze version replaced it the following year, during Trump’s re-election campaign.
Despite her rise to global prominence, Melania never brought her husband to visit Slovenia during his presidency. Now, even her likeness won’t stay put.
