A bronze statue commemorating Melania Trump has been stolen from its location near her birthplace in Slovenia, marking nearly five years since it was installed to replace a previous version destroyed by arson.
Slovenian authorities confirmed to CNN that the statue, situated in the village of Rono, was reported missing on Tuesday.
According to Gateway Pundit, the statue was positioned near Sevnica, a quaint town approximately 90 kilometers east of Ljubljana, Slovenia's capital, and recognized as Melania Trump's hometown. Police spokesperson Alenka Drenik Rangus stated on Friday that law enforcement had "conducted an inspection of the crime scene and collected information." She further noted that "the investigating judge and the district state prosecutor were informed about the theft."
Images circulating in Slovenian media reveal that the statue's lower legs and feet remain attached to a tree stump, while the rest of the sculpture has been meticulously removed. This bronze piece succeeded an earlier wooden version, which was set ablaze by leftist vandals in July 2020. The charred remains of that sculpture were subsequently removed and displayed in exhibitions.
Artist Brad Downey, who spearheaded the project, initially intended to create a bronze cast for display in a formal setting. However, he opted to install it on-site as a replacement for the original. "I had always intended to make a bronze version of the statue to exhibit in an institutional setting," Downey explained. "But I decided to use it to replace the wooden sculpture after it was badly burned."
Downey had commissioned the wooden sculpture from Slovenian artist Ales Zupevc, a fellow native of Sevnica who shares the same birth year and hospital as Melania Trump. The wooden statue, depicting the First Lady in the pale blue ensemble worn at the 2017 inauguration, elicited mixed reactions from locals due to its unconventional design.
Sevnica, a serene town with a population of around 5,000, has embraced its connection to Melania Trump by offering a range of themed products, such as chocolates, cakes, and locally-produced honey, to attract tourists.
This incident raises questions about the motives behind the theft and the broader implications for the town's efforts to capitalize on its association with the First Lady.
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