Thieves in Slovenia have sunk to new lows, hacking off a bronze statue of Melania Trump at the ankles and making off with it.
The heist, which reeks of petty political vendetta, happened in Sevnica, Mrs. Trump's former hometown, as the New York Post reports, and this isn’t just theft -- it’s a slap at a woman who rose from Communist Yugoslavia to global prominence.
In a single brazen act on May 13, a bronze statue honoring Melania Trump was stolen after it was severed at the ankles in a field near Sevnica, Slovenia. The statue, anchored to a tree stump, was a tribute to the hometown hero born in Novo Mesto in 1970. Police were alerted the same day and launched an investigation, but the culprits remain at large.
The statue was the work of American artist Brad Downey, erected after a wooden predecessor was torched by arsonists in 2020. That earlier vandalism was bad enough, but this theft takes the cake, cutting Melania’s likeness off at the feet like some woke guillotine. It’s hard to see this as anything but a targeted attack on her legacy.
“The theft was reported on 13 May and immediately police officers visited the crime scene and launched an investigation,” a police spokesperson said. Well, good luck to them -- Slovenia’s not exactly crawling with bronze statue fences. The real question is whether this was a local grudge or a political hit job.
Downey, the artist behind the statue, isn’t holding his breath for justice. “I’m a bit sad that it’s gone,” he said. Sad? Try infuriated -- another piece of art honoring a conservative icon gets trashed, and the world just shrugs.
The artist is not wrong to suspect deeper motives. “My feeling is that it has something to do with the new election [of Donald Trump], but who knows, right?” he said. Oh, we know -- nothing screams “tolerance” like defacing a statue of a former first lady right after her husband’s political comeback.
Melania Trump, born in 1970, grew up in Sevnica when it was still part of Communist Yugoslavia -- a place where dreaming big wasn’t exactly encouraged. She defied those odds, becoming a global figure, only to have her hometown tributes repeatedly vandalized. It’s almost like success invites resentment from the perpetually aggrieved.
The wooden statue that preceded the bronze one was set ablaze in 2020, a fiery middle finger to Melania’s achievements. Arsonists didn’t just destroy art -- they tried to erase a symbol of aspiration. Funny how the “progressive” crowd loves to torch what they can’t control.
Now, the bronze replacement has been stolen, cut down like a trophy for some coward’s mantle. The thief’s hacksaw wasn’t just slicing metal -- it was carving out another chunk of respect for a woman who’s weathered more than her share of hate. Actions have consequences, and this one’s a disgrace.
The statue stood in a field, anchored to a tree stump -- a humble but proud nod to Melania’s roots. Cutting it off at the ankles feels symbolic, doesn’t it? Like trying to hobble the spirit of a woman who’s spent decades standing tall against critics. Sevnica’s loss isn’t just a statue; it’s a piece of its history. Melania’s journey from a small town to the White House put this place on the map. Yet some locals -- or outsiders -- seem hell-bent on erasing that pride.
The police investigation is ongoing, but don’t hold your breath for a quick resolution. Thieves who go to the trouble of sawing through bronze aren’t exactly leaving calling cards. Still, the truth has a way of surfacing, even in a world that loves to hide it.
This isn’t the first time Melania’s likeness has been targeted, and it probably won’t be the last. The 2020 arson was a wake-up call; this theft is a screaming alarm. When will people realize that tearing down symbols doesn’t erase the person they represent?
Brad Downey’s creation was more than art -- it was a statement of resilience. Replacing a burned wooden statue with a bronze one was a defiant act, a refusal to let vandals win. Too bad the mob doesn’t appreciate defiance when it’s not their own.
Melania Trump deserves better than having her legacy hacked apart in her hometown. If this theft is tied to political grudges, as Downey suspects, it’s just another reminder: the left’s “tolerance” stops where conservative icons begin. Slovenia -- and the world -- could use a refresher on respecting achievement over ideology.
