Union Square Park authorities hauled away the statue of presidential candidate Donald Trump. Photo / Getty Images
Union Square Park authorities hauled away the statue of presidential candidate Donald Trump. Photo / Getty Images
A naked statue of Donald Trump, complete with bulging belly and elaborate yellow hair, caused laughter and merriment in New York on today until it was demolished by park wardens.
Hands clasped across ample belly, the sculpture was unveiled in Union Square, gazing out across a busy street with anengraved plaque saying "The Emperor Has No Balls," witnesses said.
Four other naked Trump statues appeared on Thursday in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Ohio, according to social media posts. Indecline, a California-based company, released a video on its website showing naked statues of the controversial Republican presidential nominee being made.
But New York's department of parks and recreation was unimpressed. Wardens ripped the statue from its base before using shovels to smash its feet and foam base to smithereens, and pry its metal platform from the ground.
"NYC Parks stands firmly against any unpermitted erection in city parks, no matter how small," a spokesperson told AFP in an email.
"That was great craftsmanship, because they're having a hard time taking that apart," he added, breaking into giggles.
People gather around a statue of republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in San Francisco. Photo / Getty Images
Peri Fisher, 48, a representative for an electronics company, said she was pleased to see a male politician being judged on his appearance "for a change," criticising the decision to destroy the statue.
"Personally, I think Trump is insane and not fit to be president, not that (Democratic rival) Hillary Clinton really is either, but she's the lesser of two evils," she said.
"Right or wrong, people have the right to put it up there," she added. "He's a public figure - public figures are open to mockery. This was a mockery. It's just part of the American way of life."