Donald Trump has inspired everything from devotion to disbelief, but few moments capture the strange collision of politics and pop culture quite like a wax figure that couldn’t stay intact because visitors kept bashing it in the face because it looked like the 45th and 47th president of the United States.
An eagled-eye fan shared a video of the life-sized Trump wax figure once displayed at Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks in San Antonio, Texas.
‘It Be Your Own Family’: Melania Posts Damaging Video of Trump Struggling as Health Concerns Mount
In 2021, museum staff quietly pulled the figure from public view after repeated physical damage left its face visibly worn down. Guests weren’t simply brushing past it or bumping it during photos. The likeness was repeatedly struck, punched, and scratched to the point where repairs could no longer keep up, forcing staff to remove it from the gallery and place it into storage, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Museum employees acknowledged that presidential figures often attract strong reactions but said the Trump statue drew an unusually high level of hands-on attention. Even relocating it closer to staff supervision did little to slow the behavior. Designed with Trump’s familiar visage and a confident thumbs-up pose, the figure became less of a novelty attraction and more of an emotional lightning rod, prompting Ripley Entertainment, which operates the museum, to intervene.
“It’s a presidential figure. Sometimes people will take a swipe at them, but they did that with Obama, Bush, and they’ve done it with celebrity figures as well. It’s just something that happens,” explained Suzanne Smagala-Potts, a spokesperson for the museum’s parent company, Ripley Entertainment, in 2021.
But that didn’t explain why this statue was removed or severely damaged.
Once this old story made the rounds again, social media turned the odd museum footnote into a full-blown conversation.
When MSN reposted the Daily Star’s recent story about the removal four years ago — minus details about subsequent developments — many readers weighed in.
“I’m surprised the attackers knew who the wax model was supposed to be — it looks nothing like him!” one person wrote.
Another added, “Pity the real thing cannot be removed as easily.”
Others leaned into humor, with one commenter suggesting, “The museum could have charged $10 a pop. They’d have made loads, and made a lot of Americans happy. Keep a few spare heads and refurbish them as needed! Lol.”
One person tweeted a response who said it didn’t look like him, “Looks like a dead-on freakin’ masterpiece! If you like masterpieces of f—king monsters.”
Some created AI reenactments of the punching.
San Antonio Wax Musem removed Trumps wax figure because visitors
kept punching his face.
What’s funnier the xmas indian song or trump punch in the face?#SanAntonio #waxmuseum #lol pic.twitter.com/R6xwtSIM3K— Rizz G (@RizzTsla) December 5, 2025
As the story circulated, another reaction summed up the mood: “Can work out any anger issues on that thing.”
Can work out any anger issues on that thing
— Sean Sivils (@Dark_Phnx83) November 29, 2025
Even simpler responses poured in, including a celebratory “YAY!!!”
YAY!!! pic.twitter.com/SY2llfJgJV
— BeeLeeTees (@BeeLeeTee2) November 28, 2025
While the online chatter skewed sarcastic, museum officials struck a neutral tone when talking to the press.
According to Smagala-Potts, wear and tear is common across exhibits, especially when visitors pose closely with statues for photos. Constant contact, she explained, gradually takes its toll on any wax figure.
Smagala-Potts confirmed to the Chronicle in March that the likeness had been back on display for some time. It is positioned in the presidential gallery, where the current president’s figure is typically placed. The reappearance was framed as routine, not symbolic. Ripley’s, she noted, creates figures of whoever holds the office, regardless of party affiliation.
Still, the statue’s turbulent history mirrors broader frustrations many Americans have expressed toward Trump himself.
Critics often point to moments that feel disconnected from everyday realities, including the lavish Great Gatsby–style Halloween celebration he hosted at Mar-a-Lago titled “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody.”
Images from the event circulated widely, with many questioning the timing and excess. Around the same period, Trump sparked backlash for dismissing affordability concerns, suggesting people stop buying everyday items like toys and pencils while brushing off rising costs as exaggerated.
To critics, the contrast between glittering parties and rhetoric that downplayed household strain reinforced a sense of excess and distance from everyday life.
Through that lens, the wax figure became more than a museum prop. For some visitors, it served as a stand-in for years of built-up frustration. Its removal, repair, and quiet return reflect the recurring cycle of controversy that follows Trump.
Now back on display, the figure is again drawing photos and reactions, with many repeating that it “looks nothing like him.”
Great Job Nicole Duncan-Smith & the Team @ Atlanta Black Star Source link for sharing this story.
