The mystery of the Phoenix statue of former President Donald Trump thickened on Friday, just a day after the naked effigy appeared on site.
The statue is part of a traveling tour titled “Crooked and Obscene,” according to a news release sent by the people behind the project. As of Friday, the statue was gone off the intersection of Washington and 24th streets, and representatives did not immediately respond to questions.
The statue stood at 43 feet tall and was made of foam and rebar. The release, which called the piece a marionette, indicated this was the second stop on the tour after being seen in Las Vegas earlier this week.
The statue’s makers said the intention behind the piece was to serve “as a bold statement on transparency, vulnerability, and the public personas of political figures.”
Ashley Meadows, a manager at Canine Country Club & Feline Inn, a pet boarding facility next to the marijuana dispensary where the anatomically correct statue was situated, stated that the temporary installation was completely removed by Friday morning. She noted that semitrucks were used to transport it out.
Those who took it informed Meadows that they were headed to Utah.
The naked statue attracted significant attention from passersby, including law enforcement, who snapped photos, Meadows said. While a complete view of the installation wasn’t visible from all angles, she mentioned that “the whole thing” could be seen from the pet boarding school’s property.
“A lot of people were a bit disturbed about it,” Meadows said.
It is unclear where the statue will be moved to next. A news release indicated this was the piece’s second stop. Both Nevada and Arizona are considered battleground states in the general election on Nov. 5.
Nevada’s GOP deemed the statue “deplorable” on social media.
“The Nevada Republican Party strongly condemns the deplorable statue of President Donald J. Trump recently hung from a crane along Interstate 15,” a statement shared on X reads. “While families drive through Las Vegas, they are forced to view this offensive marionette, designed intentionally for shock value rather than meaning full dialogue.”
In August 2016, a group calling itself INDECLINE erected life-size naked statues in Trump’s image throughout five U.S. cities during his first run as the Republican Party’s presidential nominee.
