Officials in Slovenia are currently looking into the disappearance of a bronze statue of U.S. First Lady Melania Trump. The statue, which stood in her hometown, was sawn off and carried off. The statue was unveiled in the town of Sevnica in 2020 during Donald Trump’s first term in the White House. Melania, who was then Melania Knauss, was born in a small town in 1970. The bronze statue replaced a wooden statue of Melania that was created by a local artist.
Previous Statue Of Melania Torched
Melania left her hometown in 1985 and never returned. The town, however, has capitalized on her being from there. Melania has inspired chocolate, coffee, and slippers; despite all of that, the wooden statue of the first lady was set on fire and destroyed a few months after it was placed in the town.
Alenka Drenik Rangus, a spokesperson for the Slovenian police, told the media on Friday that the police were notified on Tuesday that the statue was missing. She added that the police were investigating the theft and doing their best to track down those responsible.
“[Police] conducted an inspection of the crime scene and collected information. The investigating judge and the district state prosecutor were informed about the theft,” Slovenian National Police Force spokesperson Rangus said on Friday.Â
Residents Speak Out
The life-size bronze statue was sawed off at the ankles and removed. According to Franja Kranjc, a bakery worker in Melania’s hometown, which sells baked goods named after Melania, the stolen statue will not be missed.
“I think no one was really proud of this statue, not even the first lady of the USA,” he said. “So, I think it’s OK that it’s removed.” Residents of Melania’s small hometown say they have their suspicions about what happened to the statue. Some believe it was an act of vandalism; others believe it was stolen for the bronze, melted down, and sold for cash. No one in the town of just around 5,000 believed the act was political.Â
“Melania is rarely seen in the spotlight or anywhere else, and even when she does do something, it’s so bizarre, so I don’t even want to think about her that much,” said Igor Pavkovic, who was born and raised in Sevnica. He says that when he first saw the statue, it made him laugh. Another resident shared, “We were all ashamed of the statue when it was first unveiled, especially Melania and the Knavs family,” said Bruno Vidma, a hotel owner.
“I only saw it in pictures, and I thought it was very unesthetic,” said Nena Bedek, who went to high school with Melania. “I had the feeling someone was making fun.”
Artist Comments
The original statue, made of wood, was carved from the trunk of a linden tree. The wooden statue featured the first lady in a blue dress much like the one she wore to her husband’s first inauguration. It was set ablaze in 2020. The bronze statue reportedly did not resemble the first lady at all.
The bronze statue was created by American conceptual artist Brad Downey. Downey says he’s “a bit sad that it’s gone. My feeling is that it has something to do with the new election [of Donald Trump], but who knows, right?”
It isn’t known if Melania had ever seen either of the statues in person. We do know Donald Trump never visited the statues of his wife. Trump has never visited Slovenia. Another attraction in Slovenia is a 26-foot-tall wooden statue of Donald Trump, which showcases him as being two-faced.
