Late-night host Stephen Colbert mocked a golden statue of President Donald Trump after spotting what he described as a hidden insult buried in the flashy display.
A 22-foot golden statue of President Donald Trump was erected at the Trump National Doral golf course in Miami last week.
The giant gold‑leafed effigy, dubbed the “Don Colossus,” shows Trump raising his right fist in a gesture mirroring the moment he re-emerged after surviving the assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania campaign rally on July 13, 2024.
The president has praised the $450,000 statue—which was funded by a group of crypto investors—calling it: “The Real Deal - GOLD - At Doral in Miami. Put there by great American Patriots!!!”
But Colbert pointed viewers to a small detail on the statue that he joked undercut the larger-than-life tribute, turning the spectacle into a punchline.
He said the statue was “surprisingly wrinkly.”
“Looks like they forgot to steam out his pants, his shirt, and his face,” Colbert joked.
He added: “I’d recommend adding a couple of handles to make it easier to pull down when we’re liberated by the Canadians,” referencing the multiple statues of dictators, including Vladimir Lenin and Saddam Hussein, which were toppled following their regimes’ collapses.
The statue was unveiled during a ceremony last week led by Pastor Mark Burns, who has been a member of Pastors for Trump since 2023 and is seen as the president’s informal spiritual adviser.
“Today at Trump National Doral Miami, history was made,” Burns said in a post on X. “I was deeply honored to lead the dedication event for President Donald J. Trump and the unveiling of the 22-foot statue created in his honor.”
Burns added that the statue was “not a golden calf” and said, “We worship the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone,” describing the display instead as “about honor” and a symbol of “resilience, freedom, patriotism, courage, and the will to keep fighting for America.”
Colbert mocked Burns’ comments, quipping: “A little suspicious to deny worshiping false idols before anyone accuses you of it.”
The statue was sculpted by Alan Cottrill, who revealed to the Daily Beast just how easy it was to sell the president’s goons a shiny gold $60,000 add-on.
He said that when he pitched the idea for the statue’s gold leaf finish to Trump’s team, “they loved the idea, of course. It’s like pitching ice water to a man dying of thirst. It was not a hard sell.”
In an interview with radio station LBC, Pastor Burns confirmed that Trump loved the statue.
“Of course he loved the statue. Who wouldn’t love a statue of themselves? Michael Jordan loved the statue of himself. Allen Iverson loved the statue of himself. Shakira, the singer, loved the statue of herself,” he said.
Colbert hit back: “Oh, Shakira the singer? Thank you for clarifying. Otherwise I would have thought you meant Shakira the gynecologist.”
