Authorities in Slovenia have launched an investigation after a bronze statue of former U.S. First Lady Melania Trump was stolen from near her hometown, Sevnica.
The life-size statue, installed in 2020 during Donald Trump’s presidency, was placed near the central Slovenian town where Melania, born Melanija Knavs in 1970, grew up. It had replaced a previous wooden version that was destroyed in an arson attack earlier the same year.
Police spokesperson Alenka Drenik Rangus confirmed on Friday that officials were alerted to the statue’s disappearance on Tuesday and are actively working to identify the culprits.
Local media reported that the bronze sculpture was sawed off at the ankles and removed from the site.
Franja Kranjc, an employee at a local bakery in Sevnica that sells cakes named after Melania Trump, said the statue was not widely admired. “I don’t think anyone was really proud of it — not even the first lady herself. So maybe it’s just as well that it’s gone,” he commented.
The original wooden version, carved from a linden tree, depicted Melania in a light blue dress similar to the one she wore during the 2017 presidential inauguration. The bronze replacement, however, bore little resemblance to her.