A bizarre unveiling of a 22-foot golden statue of President Donald Trump has taken place at one of his golf clubs—complete with a dedication from an evangelical pastor.
The giant gold‑leafed effigy, dubbed the “Don Colossus,” was erected at the Trump National Doral golf course in Miami.
The statue, bought for $450,000, 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 ceremony was 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.
The White House insists it has not been involved in the project, but Burns said Trump called him and addressed the crowd directly.
“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.”
The statue is 15 feet tall, but stands on a concrete pedestal, raising it to 22 feet.
“This was far more than a ribbon-cutting. It was a moment of gratitude, honor, and remembrance,” Burns wrote.
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.”
“It also reminds us of the hand of God over President Trump’s life. We thank God for preserving him and not allowing his life to be taken, not once, but multiple times,” Burns said, referencing the multiple assassination attempts on Trump, the latest of which took place at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
Calling the unveiling “more than” just a ceremony, Burns described it as “a visible sign of a movement” spreading across the U.S. and beyond, while thanking supporters, donors, and Trump himself for backing the project.
The statue was funded by a group of crypto investors, who commissioned the Trump likeness as part of a promotional push for their memecoin, $PATRIOT.
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.”
Trump’s preference for gold styling has become increasingly visible across his presidency. Since returning to the White House, the Oval Office has been redesigned with prominent gold-colored details incorporated into furnishings, lighting, and decorative displays.
The aesthetic has extended beyond the office itself, with a newly added “Presidential Walk of Fame” lining the West Wing colonnade, where portraits of past presidents are displayed in gold frames.
The administration has also attached the branding to policy initiatives, unveiling “Trump Gold Cards,” a high-end visa scheme targeting wealthy investors seeking access to the U.S. market.
