Donald Trump has never hidden his love for trophies, praise, or grand public displays tied to his image.
From gold-covered branding to repeatedly pushing the idea that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, the president has spent years chasing symbols that project power, success, and admiration.
At one point, Trump was given unofficial honors and “awards” from supporters, while critics joked they felt more like pity prizes than historic achievements.
Now, one flashy tribute connected to Trump is going viral for a very different reason. Protesters allegedly transformed the once-polished display into what many online are calling a disgusting spectacle after Trump called the White House filthy.
The oversized effigy was created by sculptor Alan Cottrill, who publicly blasted Trump’s demands surrounding the project days later.
Cottrill later revealed secrets about the twice-impeached president’s statue, and a new report claims the golden Trump trophy was vandalized.
A viral post circulating on social media claims that the gold-plated Trump statue is covered in garbage, toilet tissue, and urine.
The text “If you treat us like trash, this is where you belong” in white writing was written over the post.
The image was shared on X with a disturbing message, claiming that disgruntled Miami Republicans left the debris at the sculpture. Reactions to the image on social media were generally in favor of desecrating the golden Trump sculpture.
“I like what they’ve done with it, really classed it up a bit,” joked one X user.
“I love this so much, I think it’s going to be my Christmas card this year,” wrote one. “He’s losing his base and I’m here for it,” replied another.
The image prompted others to make their own golden Trump trophies, including a shocking photo of Trump upside down in a garbage can. The caption read, “Trump should have had a solid gold trash bin put up.”
“Please tell me this is not an AI photo,’ wrote another person.
However, as folks continued to weigh in, many wondered if the image was AI-generated. No credible outlets have reported that the sculpture was trashed.
However, one X user posted it’s “not AI,” while claiming a friend, originally from St. Pete’s, Florida, “took” the photo and sent it to him.
Social media detractors continued to flip the script and create more humiliating images of Trump. One image depicted him as a golden pig with the caption, “Isn’t it being replaced by this?”
— cMdM89 (@md_m89) May 13, 2026
Another image was shared of a bald eagle releasing Mother Nature on the golden statue’s head. A final user aptly captured Trump’s very large ego in having a statue erected in his honor while he is still in office.
“Haha, what a riot! What a crazy thing to do to erect this statue, especially while still in office,” they wrote.
“It’s bound to get a negative reaction. In fact, weird. How many leaders of Western democracies have planted statues of themselves in public places? Ego run amok!”
Cottrill revealed that while discussing the sculpture with Trump’s team, they “loved” the idea of painting the bronze statue gold.
But they gave him strict and constant revisions, including making Trump skinnier and minimizing the fat around his neck in the sculpture.
“From the start, this was chaos,” said Cottrill, who also expressed frustration about late payments.
Trump’s remarks arrived days after he described the White House as a filthy place, blaming his predecessors for its poor state.
“This place was not properly taken care of,” he said. “Normally, I would have said it was a s–t house, but I don’t want to say that.”
Critics quickly mocked the remark, pointing out that Trump has spent months covering parts of the White House with gold trim, gold décor, gold trophies, and flashy embellishments meant to give the building a more luxurious “Trump-style” makeover.
