A New Gold, 15-Foot Trump Statue at His Florida Golf Course Raises Eyebrows
Folks are drawing comparisons to statues of North Korean leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il.
Updated April 30 2026, 3:42 p.m. ET
Now in his second term as President, there are many reasons Donald Trump has been compared to authoritarian leaders. His threats to liberal media, friendly relationship with leaders like Putin, grandiose displays of military strength, and dissolution of important checks and balances all raise red flags.
But one of the most concrete and visible reasons Trump has been compared to authoritarian leaders is his proposals for extravagant monuments and projects in his name. His expensive White House ballroom project and his proposal for the "Arc de Trump" didn't hit the right chord with struggling Americans.
Now, there's yet another reason for people to raise eyebrows. It's bold, gold, and 15 feet tall.
The gold Trump statue is at his Florida golf course.
Ahead of the PGA Tour's Cadillac Championship, a 15-foot-tall statue of Trump was erected at Trump's National Doral Miami golf course. Nicknamed "Don Colosus," per The Independent, the statue depicts Trump raising his fist the way he did after the 2024 assassination attempt during the presidential race.
The 3.1-ton statue is made of bronze and gold leaf. It stands at 22 feet tall when including the height of the pedestal.
The statue was created by Ohio-based artist Alan Cottrill. Alan was reportedly in a dispute with the cryptocurrency group that commissioned the statue ($PATRIOT), according to The Columbus Dispatch. When the crypto firm used the statue's likeness to sell crypto tokens, Alan hid the statue until he was paid for his work.
The White House denied involvement with the crypto group and with the statue creation, according to The Independent.
What do people think of the new Trump statue?
Golfer Maverick McNealy and other golfers told Golfweek that they weren't sure whether they'd take photos with the statue. Maverick said that the statue was "very tall and very gold."
Rickie Fowler told The Palm Beach Post, "It's big and gold ... About all I got. It's his place; he can do whatever he wants." When asked whether he'd take a photo with the statue, he told Golfweek, "It’s going to make me look smaller than I already am ... What else would you expect?"
A group of staff told a photographer that they would definitely not be taking photos with the statue.
On social media, folks are drawing comparisons to statues of North Korean leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il.