A Butler, Pennslyvania area artist has created a life-sized statute to immortalize former President Donald J. Trump’s defiant pose immediately following the attempt on his life on July 13 this year. The former president was rallying supporters in Butler when 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire from a nearby rooftop, striking Trump in the ear, wounding two other rallygoers, and killing supporter Corey Comperatore.
The artist, Bill Secunda, used 4,000 metal nails for the piece, capturing Trump moments after the July 13 incident. He pumped his fist in the air as he was surrounded by United States Secret Service (USSS) agents, shouting to the crowd of supporters: “Fight, fight, fight!” Just moments before, a bullet fired by Crooks had hit Trump’s ear, prompting his to drop the the floor amid ongoing gunfire.
“Whenever he first stood up and then shook his fist, I think that was defiance,” the statue’s sculptor said in a recent interview. “Some people don’t like what he says, but he seems to say the right things at the right time to me—especially in moments like that. That’s a terrible situation, to almost have their head blown off.”
Secunda hopes that his new sculpture will serve as a symbol of unity and resonate across political divides. “I have friends on the opposite side of the political spectrum, and we can laugh and poke fun at each other without issue,” he said. The statue is currently exhibited at Secunda’s studio, located approximately two miles from the shooting site.