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| - Mark Burns did lead the dedication of a golden statue of Trump in May 2026. However …
… the statue was at Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami, not Mar-a-Lago.
In May 2026, social media users claimed that an evangelical minister dedicated a golden statue of U.S. President Donald Trump at one of Trump's clubs in Florida.
Users spreading the rumor shared images showing a golden Trump statue with a raised fist surrounded by onlookers. Snopes readers also sent us numerous questions about the statue, many asking whether it was at the president's Mar-a-Lago Club and referring to it as 20 feet tall.
A meme spread on Facebook with images comparing the statue to the golden calf — a reference to the biblical story of the Israelites who escaped Egypt and created an idol of a golden calf in Moses' absence. The calf represented an extreme act of apostasy.
"MAGA evangelical leaders gathered at Mar-a-Lago to bless and dedicate a golden statue of Donald Trump. Umm…pretty sure it's literally God's oldest rule not to do this."
The dedication of Trump's statue did take place on May 6, 2026 — but not at Mar-a-Lago, as numerous posts and Snopes readers claimed. As such, we rate this claim as mostly true.
The statue dedication — led by evangelical pastor Mark Burns — took place at the Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami. Burns, who spoke about the event in the media and posted footage of it on his social media pages, disputed claims that attendees were worshipping a statue of Trump, instead characterizing it as honoring the president.
Burns published footage of the dedication on his YouTube page on May 6. The video shows a statue of Trump with a raised fist, and a plaque in the grass reading: "In honor of President Donald J. Trump and his unrelenting fight to Make America Great Again."
Trump even called in to the event, according to a video shared on Burns' Instagram page, where the pastor can be seen holding a phone up to a microphone. Trump said over the phone: "It was done from with love, and I want to thank Mark Burns, a pastor, he's a good pastor, he's a good man. I've known him a long time, he's been with me from the beginning."
In a series of Instagram posts, Burns addressed critics of the statue, writing in one:
What amazes me is how quickly some people have compared this beautiful statue, created and made possible by more than 6,000 patriots, to a golden calf or idol worship.
Let me be very clear.
We worship the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone.
The Word of God says, "You shall have no other gods before Me." Exodus 20:3.
It also says, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve." Matthew 4:10.
That is the line.
Honor is not worship.
Respect is not idolatry.
Celebration is not bowing down to a false god.
[…]
Giving honor where honor is due is biblical.
Bowing down and worshipping an idol is sinful.
There is a major difference.
This statue was not created for worship. It was created as a symbol of resilience, patriotism, courage, and gratitude. It was created to honor a man whom many may disagree with, but millions of Americans believe has done extraordinary things to make this nation stronger.
In an interview on U.K.-based radio station LBC, Burns said Trump had nothing to do with the statue and it was funded by around 6,000 Trump supporters. He compared the statue to similar ones put up by fans for famous people like basketball legend Michael Jordan. The interviewer asked him to respond to claims that it was a "false idol."
Burns replied (at 4:12):
Well, of course it's preposterous. It's blasphemy to even think that. I mean, if you knew me and of course I don't know anybody who worships Donald Trump as a god, but I do know you could worship anything as a god. Whether it be your job, whether it be your money, whether it be your relationships, whether it be your career, whatever it is, you can put it before the living God. And God is a jealous God. So nothing should ever be put before the living God.
This statue symbolized patriotism of Americans. It represents the will to fight even in the face of opposition, and the will to get back up with the blood coming down the president's face. and how he turned to the crowd in Butler, Pennsylvania, and he raised up that fist and he said, "Fight, fight, fight." That patriotism echoed throughout the world and throughout America to re-energize Americans to bring us together.
A Getty Images photograph from April 30 showed the same statue of Trump at his Miami golf course, taken during the Cadillac Championship, a professional golf tournament. Miami TV news station WPLG also reported on the tournament and showed the statue, saying it was 15 feet tall (according to USA Today, the statue stands at 22 feet including the pedestal). The news coverage indicated that the statue had been up since at least late April.
According to The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio-based sculptor Alan Cottrill created the statue, which was commissioned by a cryptocurrency group. Cottrill, who kept the statue in Ohio until he resolved a payment dispute with the group, was reportedly paid $300,000 for the bronze part of the statue and $60,000 more for gold leafing.
For further reading, Snopes has previously covered other statues of Trump, including one showing him alongside the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and another depicting the president holding bitcoin.
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