Melania Trump Statue in Slovenia Cut Off at Ankles and Stolen Amid Vandalism Concerns
Bronze statue of Melania Trump stolen in Slovenia, replacing a wooden version destroyed by arson in 2020.
A bronze statue commemorating former First Lady Melania Trump has been stolen from near her hometown of Sevnica, Slovenia, after being sawed off at the ankles, authorities confirmed this week. The theft is currently under investigation by local police, who received reports of the incident on Tuesday.
The statue, a collaboration between American artist Brad Downey and local craftsman Ales "Maxi" Zupevc, was originally commissioned as a replacement for an earlier wooden version. The first statue, carved from the trunk of a linden tree, depicted Melania Trump in a pale blue dress reminiscent of her 2016 U.S. presidential inauguration outfit. That wooden figure was destroyed in an arson attack in 2020, prompting the artists to create a more durable bronze model and install it on the same stump.
According to Downey, the new work was intended to be “as solid as possible, out of a durable material which cannot be wantonly destroyed.” Despite these efforts, vandals managed to remove the sculpture in what appears to be a targeted act.
Police spokesperson Alenka Drenik Rangus said investigators are pursuing leads, but no suspects have been identified so far.
Not everyone in the local community admired the tribute. Franja Kranjc, an employee at a bakery selling cakes named after Melania Trump, commented that the rustic artwork was not particularly popular. "I think no one was really proud at this statue, not even the first lady of the USA," Kranjc said. "So, I think it’s OK that it’s removed."
Zupevc, who created the piece with a chainsaw and refined it with power tools, noted a personal connection: both he and Melania Trump were born in the same hospital. Reflecting on his creative process, he recounted in a documentary film how his brother jokingly compared the finished statue to a local waitress rather than the famous subject herself.
A plaque now remains at the former site of the statue, bearing the inscription: “Dedicated to the eternal memory of a monument to Melania which stood at this location.”
Melania Trump, born Melanija Knavs in Novo Mesto in 1970, spent her childhood in Sevnica during a period when Slovenia was part of the Communist-ruled former Yugoslavia. Today, Slovenia boasts a population of two million and is a member of both the European Union and NATO.