Melania Trump sculpture in Slovenia set ablaze

A quirky wooden sculpture of US First Lady Melania Trump near her hometown in Slovenia was reported to have been set on fire, prompting its removal, a media report said on Thursday.

Brad Downey, the Berlin-based American artist who commissioned the statue, said it was targeted on July 4, said the BBC report.

The White House has not responded to the development.

The sculpture was carved out of a tree trunk on the outskirts of Sevnica, her hometown in central Slovenia.

The statue, which depicts Trump dressed in a blue coat similar to one she wore to her husband's inauguration, received mixed reviews when it was erected in July 2019.

Trump, a model who grew up in Slovenia when it was part of Yugoslavia, moved to the US in the 1990s.

Since Donald Trump was elected US president in 2016, Sevnica has become a tourist site.

Residents have launched Melania-branded merchandise, including slippers, cakes, and burgers.