Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks in San Antonio, Texas, has removed a wax figure of former President Donald Trump because visitors to the museum kept punching it in the face.
Museum-goers would punch and scratch the wax figure, leaving visible damage on its face. “We’ve always had trouble with the presidential section because no matter what president it was — Bush, Obama or Trump — they’ve all had people beat them,” Clay Stewart, the regional manager of the museum, told the San Antonio Express-News. “When it’s a highly political figure, attacks can be a problem.”
According to Stewart, Obama’s wax figure was also beaten, losing its ears six different times, but was sent to the museum chain’s Orlando headquarters for repairs. As a result of COVID-19 restrictions, the company in charge of the figures has experienced a shortage of artists, meaning that Trump’s figure could not be repaired quickly.
When the attacks first started happening, the statue was simply moved to the front lobby, in plain view of security. But that didn’t deter vandals, leading to its ultimate move into storage. Stewart added that Trump’s effigy likely won’t return to the museum floor until President Joe Biden’s figure, which is currently in production in Orlando, can be added to the rotation.
“Our wax figures will need repairing from time to time, ranging from Hollywood celebrities to political figures, museum spokeswoman Suzanne Smagala-Potts told TheWrap. “When a wax figure has been damaged, we will remove the figure from public display and send it to our talented team of artists for repair.”
Given Trump’s current restriction from social media, he has not commented on the situation and as of this writing — and none of his family members who are still active on social media had posted about it either. Trump was back in the news this week encouraging his followers in a Fox News interview to get the COVID vaccine… but only if they wanted to.