The statue was dedicated at Trump National Doral Miami by Pastor Mark Burns, a longtime supporter and spiritual adviser to the president
Credit: Evan Vucci-Pool/Getty; Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- President Donald Trump praised the 22-foot-tall gold statue commissioned by a cryptocurrency group and now standing outside one of his Florida golf clubs
- He wrote on Truth Social on Friday, May 15, that “with time, it will become a Landmark!”
- The sculpture was dedicated on May 6 at Trump National Doral Miami by a group of religious leaders led by Pastor Mark Burns, a longtime supporter and spiritual adviser to the president
President Donald Trump praised the 22-foot-tall gold statue commissioned by a cryptocurrency group and now standing outside one of his Florida golf clubs, declaring that “with time, it will become a Landmark!”
The statue portrays Trump with his right fist held high as he did following the July 2024 attempted assassination in Butler, Pa.
It was sculpted by Ohio-based artist Alan Cottrill and commissioned by a group of cryptocurrency investors seeking to promote a coin called “$PATRIOT.”
Credit: Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty
The sculpture was dedicated at Trump National Doral Miami by a group of religious leaders led by Pastor Mark Burns, a longtime supporter and spiritual adviser to the president, on May 6.
“This is a statue, now standing at Doral, that was commissioned by a large group of political supporters who just wanted a statue of yours truly,” Trump wrote on Friday, May 15, following his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. “I very much appreciate their support, and all that they went through to get it done! They are very good people.”
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He added that “those playing the Blue Monster,” the nickname for the golf course at Doral, “are absolutely in love with it.”
“Congratulations to all involved. With time, it will become a Landmark! President DJT,” the president wrote.
Burns wrote a lengthy defense of the statue on May 8, rebutting critics who argued it was against the Christian faith to build a golden statue of Trump. Those critics referenced the golden calf idol worshipped by the Israelites before Moses returned from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments in the Book of Exodus.
“One of the greatest honors of my life was leading the dedication of President Donald J. Trump’s statue to the world,” Burns wrote. “What amazes me is how quickly some people have compared this beautiful statue, created and made possible by more than 6,000 patriots, to a golden calf or idol worship.”
“Let me be very clear. We worship the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone,” Burns added.
In his interview with The New Yorker, Burns said the statue was “no different from a Michael Jordan statue.”
Today at Trump National Doral Miami, history was made.
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.
This was far more than a ribbon cutting. It was a moment of gratitude, honor, and… pic.twitter.com/sa78VeHWvM
— Pastor Mark Burns (@pastormarkburns) May 7, 2026
“I’m very close to the President, but I don’t know anybody in my circle who worships or honors Donald Trump as a god or any kind of deity,” Burns said. “This is because I love you. I appreciate you. I honor you. Honor is not worship. Honor is not idolatry.”
The president, who made a career in real estate putting his name on giant, gilded buildings and other products, has welcomed monuments and institutions honoring him.
Credit: Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty
During his second term, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts was renamed the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. And the federally chartered Institute of Peace was dubbed the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace.
When Trump brokered a deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia last year, those countries' leaders said a new trade corridor in the region would be named the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity.
Earlier this week, officials with the Republican National Committee were also at Trump’s Doral golf club for a series of meetings with party leaders from across the country.
Those meetings were held at the Donald J. Trump Grand Ballroom of the Donald J. Trump Building, according to The Washington Post.
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