Benedict Smith
30 September 2024 8:04pm
Republicans have condemned as “deplorable” a 43-foot effigy of a naked Donald Trump that has been erected near Las Vegas.
The sculpture of the former president, which is made of foam coating a steel mesh and weighs more than 6,000lbs, looms over a highway north of the city with its arms outstretched.
The artists behind the graphic effigy said that Trump’s nudity was “intentional, serving as a bold statement on transparency, vulnerability, and the public personas of political figures”.
However, critics claim that it has been designed for “shock value” and say it will appall families driving through Las Vegas.
The Nevada Republican Party said in a statement that it “strongly condemns the deplorable statue of President Donald J Trump recently hung from a crane”.
It continued: “While families drive through Las Vegas, they are forced to view this offensive marionette, designed intentionally for shock value rather than meaningful dialogue.
“President Trump and Republicans are focused on delivering results that matter – reducing inflation, securing our borders, creating jobs, and ensuring a brighter future for all Americans.
“While Democrats, especially Kamala Harris, continue to prioritise shock value over substance, President Trump is the only candidate in this race standing up for working men and women across Nevada.”
The naked Trump is held aloft by a crane on an industrial estate outside Las Vegas, and according to local media is expected to be moved and taken on tour on Tuesday.
Attempts by The Telegraph to contact the artists, who reportedly want to remain anonymous, were unsuccessful. The leasing agent for the land where the sculpture was installed declined to provide any additional information.
The Wrap reported that the Trump effigy has been named “Crooked and Obscene” by its creators, who want those who see it to “think critically about political influence”.
It comes days after a rally in Wisconsin where Trump boasted of his “beautiful” body, adding: “Much better than Sleepy Joe [Biden].”
In 2016, Joshua “Ginger” Monroe, an artist, installed several naked statues of Trump in major cities including Seattle, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
“It wasn’t about personally humiliating him but more about getting the message out to the republic,” Mr Monroe told Cleveland Magazine the following year.
“The reason we show Trump’s veins [is] to show a visible representation of his thin skin. Him without any armour – whether it’s an Armani suit, his lawyers around him.”
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