TheTrump gold statue controversyhas taken an even stranger turn after a pastor defending the towering monument insisted it was 'not a golden calf', triggering a fresh wave of online ridicule over what critics already viewed as an over-the-top tribute to Donald Trump.
What began as a flashy unveiling atTrump National Doral in Miamihas now spiraled into a full-blown internet spectacle involving crypto investors, evangelical pastors, unpaid bills, and allegations that the statue itself had to be slimmed down to make Trump appear younger and thinner.
At the center of the chaos is Ohio sculptor Alan Cottrill, who described the project as exhausting and deeply disorganised. Speaking about the massive gold-leaf sculpture known as 'Don Colossus', Cottrill claimed the people financing the project repeatedly pushed him to alter Trump's appearance, particularly around the neck and jawline.
The techbro-funded, gold-leafed, skinny Trump was a "clusterfuck" to make, the sculptor tells New Times.🔗https://t.co/fCDuhBQoRkpic.twitter.com/Qv8CiAb1ci
According to Cottrill, the project quickly evolved from a historical monument into what he suggested was a carefully managed image makeover.
'I had him even skinnier than he is,' the sculptor admitted while discussing the original clay model. Despite that, he said investors still believed the statue made Trump look 'too big'.
The most contentious issue reportedly centered on the area beneath Trump's chin. Cottrill said he was specifically asked to reduce what critics online later referred to as Trump's 'turkey neck'.
'I'm close enough to his age, and I got some turkey neck going on, and I knew what that was,' Cottrill explained. 'That's what happens when you're almost 80.'
The comments immediately fueled the latest round of Trump vanity controversy discussions online, especially given the former president's long-documented sensitivity about photographs, camera angles, and media portrayals of his appearance.
From "wispy" hair to a "brutal" neck detail, the making of the Don Colossus has been a masterclass in vanity, with the sculptor admitting he had to "flatter" the president's features just to get the project moving toward Doral.https://t.co/9NK7ieVHnXpic.twitter.com/GB79UcnLXm
Source: International Business Times UK
