Donald Trump may have been U.S. President for only 3 weeks, but already an Italian town has decided that the controversial figure merits a statue.
Good news or bad news?
Trump, whose ban on nationals of seven mainly Muslim states from visiting the US sparked controversy and has since been challenged by the US judiciary – as well as initiating a viral petition on social media in the UK, should hold back on thanking or celebrating the Italian gesture just yet, though.
The Italian comune of Vagli di Sotto is set to home the statue – in its Park of Honour and Dishonour, as Il Fatto Quotidiano and the BBC report.
No judgment
The marble figure is already under construction, financed by private patrons from both italy and the US. The local Mayor, Mario Puglia, is not casting judgment though on which of the park's soubriquets Trump's effigy will owe its presence.
"Initially the work will be put in the centre of the park: it's for history to decide whether Trump merits honour or dishonour," he told the local paper. The mayor hopes that the statue will attract attention for the right reasons – bringing tourist interest to the town.
Statue to join a varied collection of exhibits
The statue joins an eclectic mix within the park: other exhibits include a police dog which was a victim of a raid following the Paris attacks, and figures relating to the 2012 Costa Concordia cruise ship tragedy.
The captain of the ship, who was found guilty of manslaughter and abandoning the passengers, is shown on one statue – while another honours Captain Gregorio Maria De Falco, the coastguard who harangued the captain about his decision to leave the ship. Sig. Puglia is reserving judgment on the new president, though, and thinks that history will have to decide with which of the figures Mr.
Trump has more in common.
Not the first Trump statue
This is not the first statue that the new US President has inspired. Before taking up office, a life-size naked model of the then presidential candidate was erected in New York's Union Square. The installation, erected by anarchist group Indecline and entitled 'The President Has No Balls,' was a short-lived, but popular, attraction, inspiring many people to take selfies with the unflattering representation.
