A statue of Donald Trump that appeared at a small park on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and accused the former president of a "lifetime of sexual assault" was whisked away not long after it arrived.
The Trump sculpture was spotted Wednesday morning at Maja Park, a grassy area in front of the Park Towne Place apartments at 22nd Street and the Parkway. Trump's golden likeness was positioned facing the park's bronze "Maja" sculpture of a nude woman.
A plaque on the statue quoted the former president's lewd remarks from the infamous "Access Hollywood" tape that surfaced during the 2016 presidential race. At the time of the recording in 2005, Trump had told the show's then-anchor, Billy Bush, that stardom enables powerful men to assault women.
"I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait," the plaque said, quoting Trump. "And when you're a star they let you do it. Grab them by the p****. You can do anything."
The statue at Maja Park did not have any artist's signature or identifying marks. An identical statue also appeared in Portland, Oregon on Sunday and had been placed in front of another statue depicting a nude woman. The Trump statue in Portland was vandalized and removed within hours.
Philadelphia Parks & Recreation did not immediately respond to requests for comment and would not confirm whether the city was behind the Trump statue's removal. The "Maja" sculpture, owned by the Association for Public Art, was made in the 1940s by German artist Gerhard Marcks — who famously was blacklisted by the Nazi regime.
APA spokesperson Julia Perciasepe said the organization learned about the Trump statue on Wednesday morning after receiving a call from a reporter at the Washington Post. The Trump sculptures in Philly and Portland are part of a recent trend of statues popping up in prominent places to make political statements.
In Washington, a statue of a pile of poop atop a replica of Nancy Pelosi's desk appeared this week on the National Mall to mock the rioters of the Capitol insurrection in 2021. A statue of a tiki torch, referencing the white supremacist marches in Charlottesville in 2017, appeared at Freedom Plaza. A person claiming to be part of a group behind those two statues anonymously called the Washington Post to say their intent was to make a statement ahead of next week's presidential election. The person said permits for both statues were approved by the National Park Service.
On Wednesday, the same person called the newspaper back to claim responsibility for the Trump statues placed in Philly and Portland.
"We are hoping they spark conversation about what we view are certain political issues that are relevant to voters and how they make their decision voting," the person said.
Another statue of Trump – a 43-foot tall, naked likeness – has been touring cities in multiple swing states in recent weeks and made its latest appearance in Madison, Wisconsin over the weekend. The 6,000-pound statue made of foam and rebar has made previous stops in Las Vegas, Detroit and Phoenix.
Perciasepe said APA was not aware of any permit issued for the Trump statue at Maja Park. She said the city had not confirmed whether it removed the statue.
"We're assuming the folks who put it there did not have a permit, and the city is pretty on top of removing anything that doesn't have a permit," she said.