The New York Times published a curious item in early February, highlighting something called “Don Colossus” — an enormous bronze statue in honor of Donald Trump featuring a thick layer of gold leaf.

“For more than a year, the golden statue has been at the center of one of the stranger moneymaking ventures of the Trump era,” the Times noted. “A group of cryptocurrency investors paid $300,000 to have a sculptor create it as a tribute to Mr. Trump, an outspoken crypto proponent. Then they used it to promote a memecoin called $PATRIOT.”

The article added that the cryptocurrency investors hoped the statue would soon be installed at one of the president’s Florida golf courses. Evidently, they got their wish. The Daily Beast reported:

A bizarre unveiling of a 22-foot golden statue of President Donald Trump has taken place at one of his golf clubs — complete with a dedication from an evangelical pastor. […]

The ceremony was led by Pastor Mark Burns, who has been a member of Pastors for Trump since 2023 and is seen as the president’s informal spiritual adviser. The White House insists it has not been involved in the project, but Burns said Trump called him and addressed the crowd directly.

About a month after Trump left the White House following his 2020 defeat, the then-former president spoke at a  Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), which was notable in large part because it featured a golden statue of him that was wheeled around to the delight of attendees.

More than five years later, however, “Don Colossus” is far larger; it’s found a permanent home at a Trump-owned property; and it’s received the president’s direct blessing — complete with promotion on his social media platform and a call into last week’s dedication ceremony, led in part by MAGA religious leaders.

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Steve Benen

Steve Benen is a producer for “The Rachel Maddow Show,” the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He’s also the bestselling author of “Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans’ War on the Recent Past.”

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• Trump celebrates unveiling of 22-foot ‘Don Colossus’ statue at Miami-area golf course