by Slovenian Police Investigate Missing Melania Trump Statue
Police in Slovenia are investigating the disappearance of a bronze statue of former U.S. First Lady Melania Trump, which was cut down and taken from her hometown.
The life-size sculpture was installed in 2020 near the town of Sevnica, in central Slovenia, where Melania—born Melanija Knavs in 1970—grew up. It was meant to replace an earlier wooden statue that had been destroyed in an arson attack earlier that year.
Police spokesperson Alenka Drenik Rangus said on Friday that authorities were alerted to the statue’s theft on Tuesday. She confirmed that police are actively working to identify the person or people responsible. According to Slovenian media, the bronze statue was sawed off at the ankles before being removed.
The original wooden statue, carved from the trunk of a linden tree, was set on fire in July 2020. It depicted Melania in the light blue dress she wore to Donald Trump’s 2017 presidential inauguration. The rustic sculpture sparked mixed reactions from locals. Some criticized its appearance, with one resident saying the statue didn’t capture her beauty and another comparing it to the cartoon character Smurfette.
That wooden figure was created by local chainsaw artist Ales Zupevc. After it was burned, a bronze replica was commissioned and installed in its place. However, this replacement bore little resemblance to the former first lady either.
Now, with the bronze version gone as well, the future of any Melania Trump monument in her hometown remains uncertain.
