The artist behind Donald Trump’s golden statue currently on display at CPAC told Politico Playbook that the statue was made in Mexico.
Tommy Zegan, an American expat on a permanent resident visa in Mexico said he spent over six months creating the 200-pound, 6ft tall fiberglass statue and with the help of three men from his hometown in Rosarito, Mexico, he was able to transport it to Tampa, Florida where it was painted in chrome, then transported to CPAC this weekend.
He said he’s willing to part with the statue for $100,000.
Zegan said he crafted a higher end stainless steel version that cost his “life savings” he’s hoping to sell that for $1 million or to have it on display in Trump’s presidential library.
He told Playbook that he tried to get into Mar-a-Lago last year on Donald Trump’s birthday to present the original statue as a gift, but was unable to get past security.
“I was not a big Trump supporter when he ran,” Zegan said. “I mean I voted for him because I wasn’t going to vote for Hillary. So I voted for him, but I didn’t really care for him. I used to watch ‘The Apprentice’ but I would turn it off halfway. I thought, ‘This is stupid.’”
The former youth pastor also pushed back on social media users comparing his statue to the Old Testament story of the golden calf.
“It’s not an idol,” he said. “I know the biblical definition of an idol. This is not an idol. This is a sculpture.”
