Social media users shared their hilarious theories after police in Slovenia launched an investigation into the theft of a bronze statue of First Lady Melania Trump, which was removed from its pedestal and taken from the outskirts of her hometown of Sevnica.
The bronze statue was erected in 2020 to replace an earlier wooden version that was destroyed in an arson attack. Both versions were intended to honor Trump, who was born Melanija Knavs in Sevnica in 1970. Local officials have not yet identified any suspects, and the motive behind the theft remains unclear.
Authorities say the life-size sculpture was sawed off and carried away by unknown perpetrators. It is still affixed to the tree trunk that served as its plinth. The sculpture once stood alone in a quiet, privately owned field overlooking the Sava River, and its secluded location meant it was mostly seen by passing runners and cyclists.
You can see the damaged statue in the video below.
Both the original wooden statue and its bronze successor were commissioned by American conceptual artist Brad Downey, who collaborated with local artisans to bring the works to life. Downey reported the statue missing, announcing the disappearance in an Instagram post on Saturday.
He said, in part:
"It’s a strange kind of violence. To remove the feet is to deny grounding, erase direction, and halt motion. What’s left is a fragment—rooted, but silenced. A body no longer able to move forward, a ghost."
You can see his post below.
Whoever took it must have had their reasons, people surmised... and their theories are hilarious.
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Funnily enough, not too many people in Sevnica said they would miss the statue.
According to The New York Times, Nena Bedek, an art teacher who said she had gone to school with the First Lady, said the statue "was very unesthetic."
Similarly, hotelier Bruno Vidmar said "we were all ashamed of the statue when it was first unveiled."
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