Fact Check: Was Trump's statue in Miami vandalized with toilet paper and trash?
MIAMI, FLORIDA: A 22-foot-tall gold-leaf statue of President Donald Trump, titled 'Don Colossus,' was installed at the Trump National Doral Miami golf resort on Wednesday, May 6.
A cryptocurrency group commissioned the statue, which depicts Trump with a raised fist. Soon after its installation, a viral image began circulating online claiming the statue was vandalized with toilet paper and trash within 24 hours. But is the image authentic, and did the alleged vandalism actually happen? Let’s fact-check the claim.
Claim: Trump’s Miami statue covered in trash less than 24 hours after installation
Within less than 24 hours, the trump statue (in the most republican heavy area of Florida) was covered in trash, shitty diapers, toilet paper and piss. Gerrymandering, Elons money, killing mail in ballots and armed guards at voting booths isn’t going to make a fuck of difference. pic.twitter.com/tCr4z26Z0U
— Jess Margera (@jessmargera) May 12, 2026
While the claim about the statue being vandalized remains unverified, an X user circulated an image with a caption alleging that the statue was “covered in trash, shitty diapers, toilet paper, and piss” within less than 24 hours of its installation at a heavily Republican area in Florida.
The post further included a politically charged comment referencing “Gerrymandering, Elons money, killing mail in ballots and armed guards at voting booths,” which also spread widely across social media.
The image itself has drawn skepticism despite its viral reach and appears to show a large, gold-colored statue of Donald Trump standing on a multi-tiered stone pedestal in a resort-like outdoor setting consistent with Trump National Doral Miami, with palm trees and tropical landscaping visible in the background under a bright daytime sky. The statue is depicted as approximately 22 feet tall, with a metallic gold finish and Trump shown in a suit with his signature hairstyle, raising one arm in a clenched-fist gesture.
In the viral image, white streamers resembling toilet paper appear wrapped around the statue’s body, arms, and legs, while debris is scattered at the base, including items resembling diapers, crumpled paper, plastic bottles or cans, and black trash bags. The scene is presented in a way that suggests deliberate vandalism, though the authenticity of the image and the event itself remains in question.
Fact Check: Trump’s golden statue in Miami is not vandalized
The viral image showing a golden statue of Donald Trump at Trump National Doral Miami allegedly covered in trash, diapers, toilet paper, and debris within 24 hours of installation is not real. Fact-checking shows the image is AI-generated or digitally fabricated and is being circulated as protest symbolism rather than evidence of an actual incident.
Credible reporting and available fact-checks confirm there is no evidence that the statue was vandalized. No official statements, police reports, or verified on-site photographs support the claim, and recent coverage indicates the statue remains intact and undamaged.
The original post claimed the image came from a “photographer buddy from St. Pete,” but no original files, metadata, or independent verification have been provided to substantiate this.
While Doral is located in a politically pro-Trump region of Florida, there is no corroboration of any large-scale overnight vandalism involving the statue, which would typically prompt immediate security response and media coverage.
While the statue itself is real and has drawn attention for its political symbolism, the specific claim of it being trashed within 24 hours is false, and the circulating image has been debunked as fabricated.
