The statue was installed in 2020 to replace a previous wooden version that was subject to an arson attack. The original statue, carved from a linden tree, depicted the first lady in a blue dress similar to the one she wore at President Donald Trump’s first inauguration in 2017.
The replacement bronze version was created by local artisan Alex “Maxi” Zupevc in collaboration with Kentucky artist Brad Downey. Both worked on the original statue, and Downey said at the time that the new statue would be “as solid as possible, out of a durable material which cannot be wantonly destroyed,” according to The Guardian.
The bronze statue was mounted on the same tree stump where the original once stood. A plaque beside it read, "Dedicated to the eternal memory of a monument to Melania which stood at this location."
Despite the statue’s symbolic intent, the statue received mixed reactions from the community. Franja Kranjc, a worker at a nearby bakery that sells cakes in support of Melania Trump, told the Associated Press that some did not want the statue in the town.
"I think no one was really proud at this statue, not even the first lady of the USA," Kranjc explained. "So, I think it’s OK that it's removed."
Zupevc told reporters that Melania Trump was born in the same hospital as him, which partly inspired him to make the statues with Downey. Melania Trump was born in Novo Mesto in 1970 and grew up in Sevnica, back when Slovenia was part of communist-ruled Yugoslavia.
