In Donald Trump’s eyes, a carefully created piece of art can make anyone look like a hero, even a president who has caused chaos in the U.S. and other countries.

What was supposed to be a proud artistic moment tied to a headline-grabbing political image has quietly turned into a waiting game, with one sculptor now speaking candidly about the reality behind the shine.

The Donald Trump statue may be finished, but the unpaid balance has become the real story. (Photo: Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

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The figure at the center of this controversy stands 15 feet tall, polished in gold leaf and frozen in a pose meant to symbolize strength. From the outside, everything appears ready for its debut. The statue is finished, but the story surrounding it keeps shifting.

Ohio sculptor Alan Cottrill got the call in August 2024 to build the bronze giant capturing Trump’s fist-pump after surviving the Butler, Pennsylvania, assassination attempt one month earlier.

Behind the scenes, the timeline for being compensated has stretched longer than expected, leaving the artist reflecting on how quickly excitement can turn into uncertainty once the rush to finish fades and the next steps stall.

“I’m Alan Cottrill. I’m a sculptor of the figure, as you can see,” he said in a video circulating on social media, while describing a career built on creating likenesses of national leaders.

He estimated that he has been asked to make somewhere between 16 and 19 presidential statues over the years, making this commission stand out in a meaningful way.

View on Threads

“It’s the first living president I’ve ever done,” Cottrill explained, noting that the pose was selected because it captured a moment many people would instantly recognize.

“They told us that President Trump probably would unveil it either in December or January,” Cottrill recalled, seemingly referring to around the time of Trump’s January 2025. That expectation set the pace for the entire project. “We worked seven days a week getting the gold leaf on this,” he added, describing the long stretch of nonstop work required to complete the work on time.

However, the sculptor is saying despite his working overtime to finish, he is owed $90,000 of the $150,000 payment to make it. As a result, he is adamant that he will not be releasing the statue until he has been fully compensated.

Even without fully paying for the statue, the same cryptocurrency speculators who financed the monument have already lined it up for a tour to showcase their digital currency on the world’s biggest diplomatic stage.

According to National Today, a 22-foot golden statue of Trump on a pedestal — the ‘Don Colossus’ is set to tower over the G20 summit in Miami in December 2026.

The sculptor claims he is still waiting for payment tied to the intellectual property rights connected to the image, along with additional funds related to the project.

Cottrill estimates the outstanding balance now sits at a little over $90,000 — a figure that has become the central point of discussion surrounding the statue’s future installation. If he is not paid in total, the G20 attendees will be disappointed.

The backlash on Threads was immediate and, in many cases, supportive of the artist.

One person said, “I have an idea of how you can get your moneys worth back… erect the statue somewhere mid Washington. All you need is to charge a fee per person using the statue as target practice. You should earn at least double your fee back then.”

Another said, “Melt it and put it back in blocks.”

Some other observer focused on the workload behind the statue, posted, “Where do they plan on putting this awful thing?”

Others used the situation to highlight broader concerns about creative work and contracts. One person asked, “Did u have a written contract signed by rump or his lackeys? If not then you have been robbed.”

Skeptics agreed that Cottrill had been “waiting…[for] a long time,” and not many have hope he will be commented on for the rest of his work.

One person warned, “You got screwed Alan. You are now part of a group of dummies who have been. 90,000 bucks down the toilet.” Another said, “Loser and doesn’t get it. What a fool.”

The conversation gained even more traction a few weeks ago after another Trump sculpture made headlines during an unveiling at Mar-a-Lago. The president introduced a new bust while discussing his leadership during a conflict overseas, but the moment quickly took on a life of its own online.

That wave of attention naturally prompted the artist to ask about his statue and to go public with the fact that he was not being paid.

For now, the statue remains in Zanesville, carefully stored and ready for transport once the financial details are resolved.

The sculptor says he is prepared to install the piece immediately after receiving the remaining payment.

Until then, the artwork stands complete but stationary — a reminder that sometimes the fastest jobs create the longest waits, and that the real headline can shift from the rush to the money still owed.

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