A statue of first lady Melania Trump in her native country, Slovenia, was stolen, prompting a police investigation.
The life-sized bronze statue was sawed off at the heels and carried away by unknown perpetrators, Novo Mesto Police Department spokeswoman Alenka Drenik Rangus confirmed to the Slovenian outlet Dnevnik.
This isn’t the first unfortunate fate of a statue in its place — the first statue, erected in 2019, was destroyed by arsonists on July 4, 2020. The creator replaced it with a nearly identical bronze statue shortly after, but moved its location to private property nearby and attached it to concrete and metal rods.
The act of vandalism is likely an effort in defense of the Slovenian-born first lady.
The first statue was commissioned by Berlin-based American artist Brad Downey and made by Slovenian artist Ales Zupevc, who carved it with a chainsaw. It was erected on a stump near Melania Trump’s hometown of Sevnica.
The statue was widely reviled by locals, who saw its abstract look as ugly and an insult to the first lady.
“It doesn’t look anything like Melania. It’s a Smurfette. It’s a disgrace,” one resident told ITV.
“It’s not OK. It’s a disgrace. That’s what I have to say,” another said.
Downey told AFP that the statue is “absolutely beautiful” but said he “can understand why people might think that this falls short as a description of her physical appearance.”
The first lady is widely beloved in her hometown of 4,500 inhabitants, 60 miles east of the nation’s capital, Ljubljana. Her origin in the quiet town has turned it into a tourist attraction, with locals selling slippers, wine, chocolate, cakes, and other items named after her.
“The Melanija cake is as popular as it was when she first became first lady,” bakery employee Tjasa Ana Strucelj, 19, told AFP shortly after President Donald Trump’s second election.
“Melania is a role model for Sevnica, the same goes for the cake that has the best and richest ingredients,” she continued, claiming that the first lady had personally tasted it.
Sevnica Mayor Srečko Ocvirk lauded great praise on Melania Trump, saying she made her hometown proud.
“I am proud and satisfied. … I believe she will once again fulfil her duties responsibly and with excellence, as she did during the first mandate,” he told AFP.
“From an average Slovenian town, she reached the top of the U.S.; that should show the young that if they try, they can become whatever they want,” Ocvirk added.
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The first lady is mostly quiet about her origins in the Alpine, Yugoslav country of 2 million. Despite the hopes of locals, she hasn’t visited during her time as first lady, though Ocvirk voiced hope that she could visit during her husband’s second administration. He noted with pride that Barron Trump speaks Slovene.
Researchers have noted that Melania Trump’s status is a point of national pride in Slovenia. The country has struggled to make waves on the international stage due to its small size and status as a post-communist country.
