The Trump Statue Initiative is a protest art project headed by director Bryan Buckley with support from

Bradley Tusk Bradley Tusk (born October 3, 1973) is an American businessman, venture capitalist, political strategist, and writer. He is the founder and CEO of Tusk Ventures, a venture capital fund focused on investing in early-stage startups in regulated ind ...

. Noting "Trump is obsessed with statues", Buckley and his team have created pop-up living statues criticizing former President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

and actions taken during his presidency. The exhibitions are prepared in partnership with local artists within each city. They often appear with little to no notice, and vanish within hours. To date, there have been four installations across three cities, with several works included in each installation. The exhibits feature performers costumed and painted gold to mimic statues, placed on quick-built plinths with various inscriptions on them. These include:

Installations

July 2020: Washington D.C.

Violinist Celeste Vee covered music that has been used by the Trump campaign to the musicians' objections, such as

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternative ...

: * ''The Poser'', living statue, memorializing the

Donald Trump photo op at St. John's Church On June 1, 2020, amid the George Floyd protests in Washington, D.C., law enforcement officers used tear gas and other riot control tactics to forcefully clear peaceful protesters from Lafayette Square, creating a path for President Donald Tru ...

event. Erected July 17, 2020, western end of

Freedom Plaza Freedom Plaza, originally known as Western Plaza, is an open plaza in Northwest Washington, D.C., United States, located near 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, adjacent to Pershing Park. The plaza features an inlay that partially depicts ...

, Washington D.C. * ''The Bunker'', living statue, depicting Trump's evacuation to the White House bunker with Trump cowering and holding "Teddy Barr". Erected July 17, 2020,

Trump International Hotel Washington, D.C. The Old Post Office, listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Old Post Office and Clock Tower, is located at 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. in Washington, D.C. It is a contributing property to the Pennsylvania Avenue National H ...

* ''Now Go Back To School'', living statue, showing making a demand to a student. Erected July 17, 2020, eastern end of

, Washington D.C.

August 2020: Portland, Oregon

Three exhibits were placed in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

's Waterfront Park near

Salmon Street Springs Salmon Street Springs, or Salmon Street Fountain, is an outdoor water fountain at the intersection of Naito Parkway at Southwest Salmon in Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was designed by Robert Perron Landscape Ar ...

. The statues were joined by military veterans who read out Trump's statements of support for Russian Prime Minister

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

. * ''An Ode to Putin'', living statue, showing a minivan abducting protesters in

, while Trump uses a

selfie stick A selfie stick is used to take photographs or video by positioning a digital camera device, typically a smartphone, beyond the normal range of the arm. This allows for shots to be taken at angles and distances that would not have been possible with ...

. Erected August 3, 2020. * ''Some Federal Property We Can Attack'', living statue, erected August 3, 2020,

. * ''I Just Wish Her Well Frankly'', depicting Trump kneeling in prayer to

Ghislaine Maxwell Ghislaine Noelle Marion Maxwell ( ; born 25 December 1961) is a British convicted sex offender and former socialite. In 2021, she was found guilty of child sex trafficking and other offences in connection with the financier and convicted sex o ...

with a picture of Trump with Maxwell. Living statue, erected August 3, 2020,

September 2020: Washington, D.C.

* "I Will Fight Racism Nov 3", September 7, 2020, Kalorama,

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

* "He's The Fraud", faux shadow of a blue mailbox, September 7, 2020, Penn Quarter, Washington D.C. * "Fight Fascism Nov 3", faux shadow of a blue mailbox in front of the US Department of Agriculture, September 7, 2020, Washington D.C.

September 2020: New York City

Projections

A collaboration with Illuminator Art Collective, several projections appeared around New York City accompanying mail boxes. The projections took the form of quote bubbles, making the mail boxes appear to be speaking - the messages were in support of the

US Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

, and were mostly derisive jokes aimed at President Trump.

Statues

*''The Final Push'', depicting Trump driving a golf cart while filmed by

Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...

, crashing into tombstones depicting COVID deaths and denigrating troops. Erected September 8, 2020, Battery Park New York City. * ''The Giant vs The Stealer'', living statue, New York City. * ''Good Boy, Now Sit'', living statue depicting Trump holding a BLM sign with bullet holes and

Kyle Rittenhouse Kyle Howard Rittenhouse (born January 3, 2003) is an American known for shooting three men, two fatally, during the civil unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in August 2020 when he was 17 years old. At his trial in November 2021, a jury found Rittenh ...

holding a gun with spent rounds at his feet. New York City. via

Yahoo! Yahoo! (, styled yahoo''!'' in its logo) is an American web services provider. It is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California and operated by the namesake company Yahoo Inc., which is 90% owned by investment funds managed by Apollo Global Man ...

October 2020: Washington, D.C.

Projections

Collaborating again with lluminator Art Collective, messages were projected on the front of the

Trump International Hotel Trump International Hotel may refer to: Current Five buildings are named Trump Hotels with four owned/operated by the Trump organization: * Trump International Hotel and Tower (Chicago) * Trump International Hotel and Tower (New York City) * Tru ...

, the front of the

Environmental Protection Agency A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...

building, and the lawn of the

Washington Monument The Washington Monument is an obelisk shaped building within the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, once commander-in-chief of the Continental Army (1775–1784) in the American Revolutionary War and the ...

. * Trump International Hotel, messages included "have you seen our luxurious hotel for children," "guess where maids pay more taxes than the hotel owner?" and "stay one night and get one dirty political favor for free (offer expires 11/4/20) *

building depicted industrial smokestacks billowing smoke into the clouds over each column of the building facade, with "Trump's 2020" written above. Another graphic displayed deceased Supreme Court Justice

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Joan Ruth Bader Ginsburg ( ; ; March 15, 1933September 18, 2020) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until her death in 2020. She was nominated by President ...

's eye with a tear running down one of the building's columns. *

lawn included the message "figures we get this first. And the world's biggest asshole came second" and also separately featured the graphic of Ruth Bader Ginsburg again.

Statues

*''Fill That Seat'', depicting Trump urinating into the empty seat of deceased Supreme Court Justice

. Erected October 27, 2020, Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC. * ''Don't Be Afraid'', living statue depicting Trump standing between two graves, mourned by a medical worker and fire fighter in reference to the COVID-19 outbreak and West Coast Forest Fires. The title is based on Trump's proclamation on Twitter that COVID-19 is nothing to fear after he recovered from the virus. Erected October 27, 2020, Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC. * ''The Poser,'' a reprisal of the living statue erected in Freedom Plaza on July 17, memorializing the

event. Erected October 27, 2020, Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC. *''Safety For The Suburban Housewife,'' living statue depicting Trump peeking up the skirt of a housewife as he supports her ladder. Erected October 27, 2020, Outside Trump International Hotel, Washington, DC.

References

External links

* * {{Protests against Trump footer 2020 in politics 2020 protests 2020 works Parodies of Donald Trump Political art Protests against Donald Trump Statues of Donald Trump