Pop-up Trump statue makes political point in Portland
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- With just over a week to go before the election, a political pop-up statue of Donald Trump appeared in downtown Portland on Sunday above a plaque that said "In Honor of a Lifetime of Sexual Assault."
But by mid-afternoon, the Trump statue had been beheaded. The plaque was ripped apart and destroyed in a separate act. And by 9:30 p.m., all that was left of the statue was one gold shoe.
The lifesize statue of Trump, spray-painted gold, dressed in real clothing on a figure made of plastic and other materials, is near and facing the "nude woman" sculpture at SW 6th and Morrison, near Pioneer Courthouse Square. The bronze sculpture, Kvinneakt (which is Norwegian for "nude woman"), was installed in 1975.
Trump is standing on the base above an inscription, "In Honor of a Lifetime of Sexual Assault."
Below it was the now-famous quote from the Access Hollywood video released in the waning days of the 2016 presidential campaign. Most observers believed that video would derail his candidacy, but it did not. Weeks later he lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton but won the presidency through the Electoral College.
It's not known who placed the statue, nor is it known who took the head off.
"I wonder where is the head? It could be anybody at this point," said passerby Nicholas Carroll.
Passerby Todd Jordan said with the election so close, he's not sure what will happen.
"Not surprised to come down here and see the head is missing. I don't know how that happened," Jordan told KOIN 6 News. "I think we may see more and more of this, you know, come within the next week or so. Not sure what to expect, but anything's possible as that just showed up downtown."
"I thought, oh my gosh, I have to go down and see it before it's gone. Didn't know it would be destroyed, though," Marty Warner told KOIN 6 News as he chuckled.
Kara Sullivan said she "loved that it happened instantly."
This isn't the first time "Donald Trump" and "Portland statues" have been used in the same breath.
In 2020, a group of anti-Trump protesters used what were called "living statues" to depict Trump satirically as the election approached. Earlier in the year, Trump specifically called out "leftist radicals" in Portland after statues of noted figures, including George Washington, were toppled during protests.
KOIN 6 News reached out to Portland Parks & Rec for comment about the latest Trump statue in the city. At this time officials have not yet replied.
Warner said he came to see it because he was curious. "I just know that it's a piece of history and with the things that are going on right now, I just wanted to go ahead and capture the moment and take a picture of it."
"I knew back in 2020 people tore down statues of Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Jefferson," Carroll said. "So I didn't think it would last long."
It's also not the first time the "nude woman" sculpture has been used to make a political point.
Three years after its installation, Kvinneakt became famous when Bud Clark -- who would later become Portland mayor -- used it in the famous "Expose Yourself to Art" poster.