President-elect Donald Trump has been awarded a larger-than-life, two-story bronze statue. The statue was created to symbolize his defiant spirit after an assassination attempt on his life in Butler, Pennsylvania, last July.
Breitbart News obtained exclusive photos of the statue, which is still under construction. Backers of the project hope to unveil the finished product at President Trump's inauguration.
An artist looks up at an unfinished Trump statue in Alan Cottrill's studio. (Photo: Dustin Stockton)
An artist is making a clay mold of playing cards. (Photo: Dustin Stockton)
Cryptocurrency investors participating in the project $Patriot After President Trump was nearly assassinated in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024, Ohio artist Alan Cottrill was commissioned to create the statue. Breitbart News found that President Trump's pro-cryptocurrency policies also helped motivate supporters to support the project.
Cottrill is working to capture President Trump's courage and defiance in the moments after he was shot. In symbolic fashion, Trump stood up with a bloody face, raised his fist and repeatedly shouted “Fight!” a U.S. Secret Service agent told his supporters before removing him from the stage.
WATCH: Defiant: Bloody Trump raises fist to crowd after possible shooting at rally
Cottrill, who is also the creator of the Thomas Edison statue in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol, said in a statement shared with Breitbart News that this is the largest statue he has ever attempted to create. said.
“I have carved and cast over 400 life-size bronze statues across America, but the Patriot Statue is the largest single statue to date,” he said.
In addition to building the Edison statue in 2016, Cottrill has also built statues of several other presidents for universities and museums.
“The Donald J. Trump Patriot Statue was our largest and most controversial undertaking, especially given the scale and relevance of the event that took place in Butler,” Cottrill said.
Dustin Stockton, who helped lead the project, detailed the process Cottrill worked to fake the statue.
First, Kotrill sculpts a clay mold and molds each individual bronze piece based on that mold. The bronze pieces are then welded and buffed to create the final product. Stockton estimated the statue would be completed by the new year.
A clay mold of Trump's face next to a mold of Teddy Roosevelt, the 26th president. (Photo: Dustin Stockton)
Let's take another look at the clay mold. (Photo: Dustin Stockton)
“The statue had to be of President Trump. It had to be larger than life and extravagant,” Stockton told Breitbart News.
He said he had discussed the logistics of unveiling it at the inauguration with several members of the inaugural committee.
After its unveiling, the statue will embark on a year-long cross-country tour on the back of an 18-wheeler with a crane, Stockton said.
After the tour ends, project officials hope the statue will be displayed in Butler before eventually being permanently installed in the Trump Presidential Library.
“This past decade has been truly awful. Patriot projects, statues and tours are our way of making a case for how these great times are remembered in history,” Stockton said. spoke.
Another angle of the unfinished Trump statue. (Photo: Dustin Stockton)
It's unclear whether the statue will be located in Butler's exact location or whether it could stand on the grounds of the Butler Farm Show where President Trump was shot, but Stockton said We are talking with some people about the possibility of installing a statue.
Butler County Commission Vice Chair Kim Geyer, who is in touch with Stockton, said in a phone call with Breitbart News Tuesday morning that the site is privately owned and that it is up to the farm show venue's board of directors. Said to mean that. Rather than the county putting it there.
Asked if there was a better place to put the statue, at least temporarily, than in Butler County, Geyer said that would be a “good place.”
“Before it could be moved to the Trump Presidential Library in the future, we already have visitors who frequently visit the site because they want to see where this event that happened on July 13th took place, so it will be I think that's the right place,''' she said.
Breitbart News also asked Geyer, who sat behind President Trump at the fateful July 13 rally, about the economic and tourism impact the statue could have on Butler and the surrounding area. Ta.
“People are going to come into town to see it, and it's going to impact tourism because people coming out of town will be frequenting restaurants and hotels,” Geyer said. “Butler County has a lot of other recreation and great things to do. There's a lot of things to see and do in Butler County and we're very proud of that and that's definitely a positive thing. I think so.”
“I think it's going to be a positive indicator…I think it's going to be a historical indicator. This is a bad thing that happened in our county and it can't be erased, but there's also a lot of good that comes out of the bad.” , she continued, adding that the family of firefighter Corey Comperatore, who was killed by the gunman, said: “People may have different points of view and that should be respected,” Trump said at his rally.
Bradford County Commission Chairman Doug Marinko said he plans to drive 4 1/2 hours west to see the statue if it is installed in Butler.
“I live on the other side of the state. I'll drive to see it,” Marinko told Breitbart News by phone Monday night. “We drove out on his way back to Butler and I drove out to see it. To be honest, I didn't know what this guy had done for us. It takes my breath away when I look at it.”
Marinko also predicted it would benefit Butler and the surrounding area economically.
“I think there's going to be a huge economic boom in this area. I think it's cool. You say, 'Where else would I be?' The only place I can think of is my front yard,” he joked.
In addition to this single towering piece, Courtrill is working on 10 smaller 18-inch bronze statues of Trump in the same iconic pose. The 10 awards, valued at about $3,000, are “Patriot Awards,” which are given to notable individuals who have played a significant role in the Make America Great Again movement.
One of the 18-inch bronze statues presented to key members of the MAGA movement. This shows what the larger statue will look like when completed. (Photo: Dustin Stockton)
Stockton said a ceremony will be held the day before the inauguration, during which small statues will be presented to patriots who have not yet been unveiled.
Stockton is a former Breitbart News reporter.
