--- title: "Crypto Guys Who Bought a Huge Gold Trump Statue Now Have a Problem" description: "A wild scheme to boost a memecoin through a 15-foot golden Trump statue has broken down as the sculptor demands payment." date: "2026-02-05" modified: "2026-02-05" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/future-society/trump-crypto-gold-statue" categories: - "Blockchain" - "Cryptocurrency" - "Future Society" --- # Crypto Guys Who Bought a Huge Gold Trump Statue Now Have a Problem ![A digitally altered portrait of Donald Trump, with a bright gold color overlay, giving a glowing effect. The background is a solid vibrant purple, and there are several white sparkles scattered around the figure, enhancing the radiant appearance.]() *Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images* When a group of crypto bros spent $300,000 commissioning a 15-foot gold statue of Donald Trump, their grift seemed solid enough. Their memecoin, $PATRIOT — for which the Trump sculpture served as a sort of promotional stunt — would soon go to the Moon, covering the costs of the piece and then some. Shockingly, the exact opposite happened. Despite securing a "juicy, juicy spot" for the statue at the [president's resort](), Trump National Doral Miami, $PATRIOT crashed to the ground. Today, the memecoin — which boasted a market cap as high as $77.7 million around Trump's return to office in January of 2025 — now stands at just $2.8 million, while the toweringeffigy gathers dust in Ohio. Now, fresh reporting [by the *New York Times*]() documents the wild ride that turned a group of crypto goons into a national laughing stock. For a very brief moment prior to Trump's second inauguration, the coin surged, sustaining millions of dollars in daily trading volume in anticipation of the [president's promise]() to turn the country into the "crypto capital of the planet." The backers, a motley crew of libertarian crypto developers and MAGA faithful, successfully drummed up social media frenzy, even [gaining approval]() from former Trump aide Steve Bannon. Then reality arrived, as it always does seems to when memecoins are involved. Infighting erupted as the token cratered, driven down by the release of [Trump's own scammy memecoin](), $TRUMP. The sculptor contracted to build the statue, Alan Cottrill, soon called in a $90,000 debt the crypto bros owed for using his work to market their digital currency. "You are using my copyrighted image in marketing your token!" Cottrill exclaimed to the contract-holders in a text message viewed by the *NYT*. "Yes lol as we planned to from day 1," rejoined Ashley Sansalone, one of the crypto developers involved. Until the group pays the final $90,000, Cottrill says he's under no obligation to release the statue. "As far as I'm concerned, they haven't bought the rights to the IP, and they're using it illegally," the sculptor told the *NYT*. "That statue will not leave my foundry until everything they owe me is paid." **More on crypto:** *[If Bitcoin Keeps Tanking, It Could Cause a “Death Spiral” for the Entire Economy]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()