Melania Statue Mysteriously Stolen – Cut Off at the Ankles and Vanished

Third vandal attack targets Trump family tribute in First Lady’s homeland

A bronze statue of First Lady Melania Trump has been hacked off at the ankles and stolen in her native Slovenia—marking the third time a Trump-themed statue has been defaced or destroyed in the country.

Local authorities confirmed the theft occurred earlier this week in the rural village of Rono, just outside Sevnica, where Melania was born. The statue—meant to be a permanent tribute—was installed in a private field, perched atop a tree stump.

“The theft was reported on May 13,” said Slovenian police spokesperson Alenka Drenik Rangus. “We immediately responded to the scene and launched a criminal investigation.” Police have released no further details about suspects or motives.

Election Year Sabotage?

American conceptual artist Brad Downey, who helped commission the statue alongside Slovenian sculptor Aleš “Maxi” Župevc, believes the crime could be politically motivated.

“I’m a bit sad that it’s gone,” Downey told AFP. “My feeling is that it has something to do with the new election [of Donald Trump], but who knows, right?”

The bronze piece replaced an earlier wooden statue of Melania, which was torched on July 4th, 2020—a fiery act some saw as symbolic rebellion. That original sculpture showed her wearing the iconic powder-blue outfit from President Trump’s 2017 inauguration.

Following the fire, Downey vowed to create something “as solid as possible,” telling German outlet Monopol that he wanted a version “out of a durable material which cannot be wantonly destroyed.” Clearly, even bronze wasn’t safe from vandals.

A Pattern of Destruction

The attack is the latest in a string of humiliations directed at Trump-family imagery in Melania’s home country. In 2019, an artist erected a massive 26-foot wooden statue of President Trump nearby—one half of his face depicted as human, the other as a vampire.

“It shows two faces: one is kind, one is terrifying,” said Slovenian artist Tomaz Schlegl at the time. That statue, too, was set ablaze.

Neither Melania nor President Trump is believed to have seen the statues in person. Despite her roots, the president never visited Slovenia during his first term—a fact that hasn’t gone unnoticed by locals.

Symbolism or Sabotage?

To many conservative Americans, the destruction of these monuments is more than just art vandalism—it’s part of a broader campaign to erase the legacy of the Trumps from public view.

“This isn’t just a stolen statue,” said one pro-Trump commentator online. “It’s a symbol of how global elites try to silence anyone who doesn’t kneel to their worldview—including the First Lady who carried herself with elegance, dignity, and class.”

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the theft, and no suspects have been publicly identified. The search for Melania’s missing bronze likeness continues.

One thing is clear: the legacy of the Trump family still strikes a nerve—both at home and abroad.