Police investigate disappearance of Melania Trump statue in her native Slovenia

Police in Slovenia are investigating the disappearance of a bronze statue of US first lady Melania Trump from her home town.

The life-size sculpture was unveiled in 2020 during President Donald Trump’s first term in office near Sevnica in central Slovenia, where Mrs Trump was born in 1970.

It replaced a wooden statue that had been set on fire earlier that year.

Police spokeswoman Alenka Drenik Rangus said on Friday that the police were informed about the theft of the statue on Tuesday. She said police were working to track down those responsible.

According to Slovenian media reports, the bronze replica was sawn off at the ankles and removed.

The original wooden statue was set on fire in July 2020. The rustic figure was cut from the trunk of a linden tree, showing her in a pale blue dress like the one she wore at Mr Trump’s presidential inauguration in 2017.

Franja Kranjc, who works at a bakery in Sevnica that sells cakes with Melania Trump’s name in support of the first lady, said the stolen statue will not be missed.

“I think no one was really proud at this statue, not even the first lady of the USA,” he said. “So I think it’s OK that it’s removed.”