Butler, Pennsylvania – Butler, Pennsylvania – After former President Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt here, local artist Bill Secunda not only called him “pretty tough,” but also created a life-sized sculpture to drive the quote home.
Inspired by Trump’s actions — raising his fist and encouraging rallygoers to “fight, fight, fight” just after an assassin’s bullet grazed him — Secunda created a unique statue of the former president out of nails. Secunda unveiled the statue on Saturday at the Butler Farm Show, the same venue where the shooting took place on July 13.
“I tried to get him to say ‘Let’s fight,’ but let’s do it non-violently.[ly]”Let’s do it right,” Secunda told Fox News Digital from his garage studio.
Like many Americans, Secunda was moved to see Trump pump his fist in the air as Secret Service agents escorted him to safety seconds after gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks shot him in the ear with a rifle.
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Butler artist Bill Secunda stands in front of a statue of former President Trump made out of nails. (Michael Dorgan/Fox News Digital)
His meticulously curated installation is made up of around 4,000 metal nails that have been twisted and bent to form the image of Trump in a pale navy suit with his arms raised.
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“I tried to give him a look of determination,” Secunda said. “When he was shot, the people of Butler didn’t run. They were upset. [but] They were going to stay there and make sure he was OK.”
The life-size statue is made from 4,000 twisted and bent metal nails and depicts Trump in a defiant pose with his right fist raised in the air. (Michael Dorgan/Fox News Digital)
“I hope [the statue] “This case helps people be a little stronger,” he continued. “This guy is tough, he’s strong. Maybe we need to be a little stronger too. It’s a tough time in the country right now, so hopefully this case helps. People are upset that it happened here, but I think they’re even more upset that it happened in the first place.”
The 6-foot-3-inch tall sculpture was made entirely with traditional flat-head cut nails, which Secunda said are usually hammered into concrete – a technique he often uses in his work.
“First, assemble the armature, then weld each nail. Many nails need to be heated, [are] “You bend it into place and fix it,” Secunda said of the nail-based structures, many of which dot his expansive gardens, including a life-sized moose. He’s made plenty of other life-sized animals over his 30-year career, including bears, bison and lions, as well as installations such as giant wooden tin figures that loom large on his grounds.
“The hairstyle was a lot of fun,” Secunda says of Trump’s iconic locks. “I did a lot of research on the ears and the hair. Once I got the shape right, I used a soldering rod to weld it in and gave it the yellow color. [finish]”
He said the Trump statue was his first politically themed piece, but that he has also created two large statues of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Secunda’s Trump statue is on display at the Butler Farm Show. (Bill Secunda)
Mr. Secunda got a head start on his latest project: In 2020, he created a sculpture of Mr. Trump ripping his shirt apart, Superman-style, to reveal a gold “T.” After the assassination attempt, Mr. Trump’s cousin suggested updating the sculpture to reflect the shooting, and Mr. Secunda went back to work.
He cut off Trump’s right arm and rewelded it to make it look like he is raising his arm with a clenched fist, removed the “T” on his chest, reworked his shirt and chest area, and finally burned a hole into his right ear to represent a bullet wound.
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Secunda said he declined the offer to sell the original work at the time, but had always hoped to one day proudly show his work to Trump. His hope now is that after all these years, that opportunity will finally come if the former president returns to Butler for another campaign rally, as he has previously hinted.
“I refused to sell it a long time ago. [Trump]After all these years… maybe the reason I still had it was to make it better… this is a much better message.”
The words “Strong as Nails” are inscribed on the structure’s base. (Michael Dorgan/Fox News Digital)
