The statue, placed on an almost three-meter pedestal, has rough shapes and an unrecognizable face, and according to published photographs, it resembles a previously damaged sculpture. Unlike her, however, it is done in one color, while the wooden Melania wore a blue coat, which the real Trump wore when her husband took the presidential oath in 2017.
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The newly unveiled statue is complemented by a sign reading “The statue is dedicated to the eternal memory of Melana’s monument, which stood in these places.”
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Brad Downey ordered the original wooden sculpture, which was nicknamed a scarecrow by critics, from the local folk artist Aleš Župevec. The statue was the target of an arson attack on the night of July 4, when the United States celebrated Independence Day. Because the goal was not to faithfully portray the image of the White House chief’s wife, some considered the work a parody.
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Trump’s wife was born Melanija Knavsová in 1970 in the Slovenian village of Novo Mesto, but grew up in Sevnica. When she was about twenty, she left Slovenia and began pursuing a modeling career. She married Trump in 2005.
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Melania Trump
Photo: Carlo Allegri, Reuters
