A wax Donald Trump did not survive San Antonio’s public, and it was not because the lighting was unflattering.
Visitors at Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks in San Antonio, Texas, reportedly struck, clawed, and physically assaulted Trump’s life-sized replica, according to staff. The wax figure was left so battered that employees decided to pull it from public view. Over time, the Trump waxwork reportedly accumulated visible damage, including noticeable scratches to the face, until workers concluded it had been hit one time too many to remain on display.
The attraction’s staff did not describe the removal as a political statement, more like a practical decision after routine wear turned into repeated vandalism. The figure, posed with Trump’s trademark double thumbs-up and an expressionless stare designed to look “authentic” for photo-taking visitors, became a magnet for hostility that the museum said became beyond repair. This comes as Trump suffers historically low approval rating on the economy and several other issues.
Clay Stewart, Ripley’s regional manager, told the San Antonio Express-News that the problem tends to escalate when the subject is a polarizing public figure like the president. “When it’s a highly political figure, attacks can be a problem,” he said. Having a wax figure is a gamble because while it attracts visitors, there is the inherent risk of vandalism.
The folks at Louis Tussaud’s waxworks in San Antonio, Texas had to remove the Donald Trump wax figure because it had been so badly treated by visitors
© Ripley’s Believe It Or Not pic.twitter.com/dVTJwKxU2v
— ToniConfid (@Toniconfid) December 13, 2025
Employees also acknowledged that some visitors also end up doing damage while taking photos without any ulterior motive. Wax figures are designed to be lifelike, but they are not designed for constant grabbing, leaning, and rough handling, especially when crowds treat the exhibit like a prop rather than a fragile sculpture. In this case, staff said the Trump figure’s condition is more of an intentional type of assault rather than a natural erosion from photos.
Museum personnel emphasized they operate as a non-political organization and said they have no desire to identify the people who vandalized the figure. That stance puts the focus on the exhibit’s safety rather than the vandals’ motives, and it leaves the broader message to the public, you can have an opinion, but you cannot take it out on the display.
Trump has long been a divisive figure in American public life, which makes him an unusually volatile choice for any attraction where those who oppose his views can get their hands on him figuratively. The museum’s removal decision, by their own account, was not about taking sides, it was about protecting the exhibit space from repeated destruction.
Trump has dealt with many scandals in his second term, but this time, a lot of the anger comes from his own base. Examples include the handling of the Epstein files and soaring prices due to his trade wars with some of America’s allies and China. The president’s defiance hasn’t helped much, as he called his own supporters “stupid” for demanding the Epstein files and recently dismissed the affordability crisis as a democratic hoax.
