Bidders vie to take home naked Donald Trump

LOS ANGELES: With its bulging, salmon pink belly, sagging varicose arms and insouciant, jowly sneer, it's hardly Michelangelo's David.
But Donald Trump devotees can brighten up the garden, or scare away burglars, with a naked foam statue of the property magnate and would-be leader of the free world for just a few thousand dollars.
Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills said on Wednesday the sculpture – life-sized in all but its most intimate parts – will go under the hammer on October 22, with an estimated value at somewhere between US$10,000 and US$20,000.
Hands clasped across its distended midriff, the artwork by California-based anarchist art collective Indecline was unveiled on Hollywood Boulevard in mid-August, complete with an engraved plaque saying "The Emperor Has No Balls."
Four other naked Trumps appeared in New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Ohio, but all were confiscated or destroyed, with officials pointing to regulations banning "any unpermitted erection in city parks, no matter how small."
The sole surviving copy was rescued by La Luz de Jesus Gallery before it could be taken and melted down.
"The explicit statue quickly became a symbol of political protest art and garnered international coverage when the gallery refused to hide or censor the statue, choosing instead to display it prominently and in public view," Julien's said.
A portion of the proceeds from the sale will go towards the National Immigration Forum, a leading immigrant advocacy organization, the auction house said.
Trump has been accused of inflaming anti-immigrant sentiment by pledging to deport 11 million undocumented people by force from the United States, before appearing to row back on the policy in recent days. — AFP