Golden Calf? Trump Statue At CPAC Draws Online Ridicule

The rolling out of a golden caricature of former President Donald Trump at a conservative conference in Florida has brought about an online reaction of biblical proportions.

Featuring panels on cancel culture, presented by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, and a series on the allegations of an election fraud cover-up from the left, the sold-out Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) kicks off day two of its annual seminar on Friday.

The former president speaks at the event on Sunday. Ahead of his address, event organizers rolled out a golden caricature of Trump donned in patriotic gear on Thursday. A video of the statue’s debut has since found its way online and is making its rounds on Twitter.

On Friday, the phrase “Golden Calf” was trending on the social media site. The statue has drawn comparisons to the mythical golden calf from the Bible, a narrative in the Old Testament representing the dangers of false idols.

The comparisons are not that far-fetched. As noted by USA Today, a QAnon conspiracy theory embraced by some far-right extremists holds that a high-ranking ring of Satanic pedophiles plotted against Trump, who is widely painted as a savior of sorts among its adherents. 

“Trump effectively is the Republican Party,” Trump senior adviser Jason Miller said earlier this week. “The only chasm is between Beltway insiders and grassroots Republicans around the country. When you attack President Trump, you’re attacking the Republican grassroots.”

Elsewhere, Trump’s firebrand political style and his ability to command steadfast loyalty has stoked divisions within the ranks of the Republican Party. Those divisions were laid bare when a handful of Republican members of the Senate and House of Representatives voted in favor of an article of impeachment filed against Trump for inciting an insurrection on Jan. 6 as lawmakers were certifying the results of the Nov. 3 election.

The CPAC event is expected to draw in a number of presidential hopefuls, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Another Republican, Nikki Haley, the former U.N. ambassador who was reportedly snubbed from the conservative conference, has sought to distance herself from the former president, citing his actions leading up to the Capitol riots.

“We need to acknowledge he let us down,” Haley told Politico of Trump earlier this month. “He went down a path he shouldn’t have, and we shouldn’t have followed him, and we shouldn’t have listened to him. And we can’t let that ever happen again.”

CPAC runs through Sunday.

Donald Trump remains popular and powerful among Republicans. Photo: AFP / ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS