(NEXSTAR) – A wax figure of former President Donald Trump has been pulled from the floor of a San Antonio museum – for its own safety.
Visitors to Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks inflicted enough damage with punches and scratches that management decided it was best to remove the statue from the display floor, at least for now.
The gouges to the wax dummy were deep, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
“When it’s a highly political figure, attacks can be a problem,” Clay Stewart, the regional manager for Ripley Entertainment, told the paper.
It’s not uncommon for a wax figure to wind up in the operating room after getting roughed up by visitors.
“We’ve always had trouble with the presidential section because no matter what president it was — Bush, Obama or Trump — they’ve all had people beat them,” Stewart told the Express-News. “The ears were torn off Obama six times. And then Bush’s nose was punched in.”
A refurbished Trump may not return to Louis Tussaud’s until the museum has a new wax figure of President Biden, Stewart said.
Suzanne Smagala-Potts, public relations manager for Ripley Entertainment Inc., said that the company has no political leaning and political figures from both parties have been sent for repairs.
“We have a very open policy with our wax museums, we want them to be interactive,” Smagala-Potts said. Visitors often like to touch the life-like figures and are encouraged to pose for selfies. She added that wax figures are regularly sent back to their team of artists for touch-ups.
Smagala-Potts issued the following statement Thursday:
“Ripley’s has a long history of creating wax figures of the US President to display at our Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks and Ripley’s Believe it or Not! Odditoriums. Our wax figures will need repairing from time to time, ranging from Hollywood celebrities to political figures. Ripley’s only showcases the highest quality of exhibits and wax figures. When a wax figure has been damaged, we will remove the figure from public display and send it to our talented team of artists for repair.”
Ripley Entertainment Inc. Public Relations Manager Suzanne Smagala-Potts
