Trump speaks out after erecting 22-foot gold statue of himself at his own golf course
Topics: Donald Trump, US News
Callum Jones
Featured Image Credit: Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, US News
Donald Trump has taken to social media to celebrate a 22-foot gold statue of himself, which was recently unveiled at the president's own golf course in Doral, Florida.
The sculpture was unveiled to the world on Wednesday (May 6), with Trump taking to Truth Social to celebrate the unveiling a short time after.
Sharing a photo of the statue, the president wrote: "The Real Deal – GOLD – At Doral in Miami. Put there by great American Patriots!!!"
The 22-foot gold statue depicts Trump with his arm raised doing a first pump, extremely reminiscent of the gesture the president did after an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024.
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A few dozen guests watched the unveiling of the statue this week, which was lead by Pastor Mark Burns, a member of Pastors for Trump.
Burns also took to X after the unveiling and penned: "Today at Trump National Doral Miami, we witnessed an unforgettable moment with the dedication of the 22-foot statue honoring President Donald J. Trump.
"Let me be clear: this is not a golden calf. We worship the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone. This statue is a celebration of life. It is a symbol of resilience, freedom, patriotism, strength, and the will power to keep fighting for the future of America."
Burns went on to say that the statue is a reminder that God is protecting Trump's life, with the pastor at one point holding up his phone up to the microphone, before seemingly playing a voice message sent by Trump.
"I want to thank Mark Burns, a pastor, he’s a good pastor, he's a good man," the president said. "I’ve known him a long time, he’s been with me from the beginning, right from the beginning, maybe about two days later."
Trump then added: "I want to thank everybody there. I know it was done from love."
It's believed that a number of cryptocurrency investors financed the statue, though it's sculptor, Alan Cottrill, had previously said they were slow to payment.
Cotrill previously revealed he agreed to make the gold statue for $300,000, but revealed he kept it stored in a warehouse until he was paid in full.
The crypto investors told The Times that the statue was paid in full a year ago, before adding of Cotrill: "He’s an amazing artist and despite his comments we greatly appreciate the work he completed on this historic statue.”