Jack White criticizes Trump’s new golden statue in Miami

Jack White has reacted to the new 22-foot golden statue of Donald Trump installed at Trump National Doral in Florida, linking it to what he called the “most frustrating part of modern American life.”

The statue shows the president with his fist raised, echoing the gesture Trump made after the assassination attempt at a 2024 rally in Pennsylvania. It was unveiled at his golf course in Doral during a ceremony led by Evangelical pastor Mark Burns, who has previously described Trump as divinely appointed, according to The Independent.

At the event, the sculpture was covered in white and blue fabric that resembled a Greek toga. Burns then held his phone up to the microphone to play a recorded message from Trump.

“I want to thank Mark Burns. He’s a good pastor, he’s a good man,” Trump said. “I’ve known him a long time, he’s been with me right from the beginning, maybe about two days later… I want to thank everybody there. I know it was done from love.”

Earlier this year, sculptor Alan Cottrill told The Times that he agreed to make the bronze sculpture for $300,000 (£221,800) and suggested adding gold leaf, which he said was received like offering water “to a person dying of thirst.”

News of the statue spread on social media after NUCLR GOLF posted video of the installation at Trump National Doral Miami ahead of the week’s Cadillac Championship.

White then shared an image of the sculpture on Instagram and used it to take aim at the wider culture around Trump.

“The most frustrating part of modern American life is the attempt to make sense of people who don’t even CARE that they make no sense at all.”

As Rolling Stone noted, White was raised Catholic and is familiar with Judeo-Christian theology, giving his remark an obvious biblical edge around the idea of false idols.

Burns quickly rejected that interpretation. On X, he wrote: “Let me be clear: this is not a golden calf. This statue is a celebration of life. It is a symbol of resilience, freedom, patriotism, strength, and the will power to keep fighting for the future of America.”

In another post, Burns said he was honored to lead the dedication for Trump and described the unveiling as “far more than a ribbon cutting.”

This is not the first Trump statue to cause a stir during his presidency. Two earlier examples, both made by protest group Secret Handshake, included “Best Friends Forever,” which showed Trump with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and “King Of The World,” which placed the pair in the Titanic pose. Both were removed soon after going up, according to The Independent.

White has repeatedly gone after Trump in recent months. He recently criticized the president for sharing a meme of himself as Jesus Christ and for attacking Pope Leo. In one post, White wrote: “How can any so-called Christian support him after this blasphemy? How could any Catholic support him after he attacks the character of their Pope multiple times? How did so many millions of people fall for this conman?” He added: “He’s already got worst President in the history of America on lock, but I’m gonna go ahead and take the honour of pronouncing Trump ‘Worst American of All Time.’”

He has also criticized Trump over the military campaign in Iran, mocked him for serving as leader of the Board of Peace, called for him to be removed from office after a racist meme involving Barack and Michelle Obama was posted on Truth Social, and joined others in condemning his comments about the death of director Rob Reiner and his wife Michelle. White has also taken issue with Treasury Department plans to place Trump’s signature on new US paper currency, calling him a “manipulative, loophole finding, egomaniacal, conman.”