The pastor behind a newly erected, 22-foot, golden statue of President Donald Trump at one of his Florida golf courses has defended the project following criticism that the homage violates biblical prohibitions against worshipping “false gods.”
John Mark Burns, an American evangelical minister and spiritual adviser to the president, led the unveiling ceremony at Trump National Doral Miami this week, joined by dozens of religious figures.
He described the statue as “a celebration of life and a powerful symbol of resilience, freedom, patriotism, courage, and the will to keep fighting for America.”
“Let me be very clear. We worship the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone,” Burns wrote.
Newsweek has contacted Burns via the email listed on his website for comment.
A Symbol Sparking a Bigger Debate
The statue was unveiled amid broader criticism over what opponents describe as increasingly personality-driven branding around Trump, from branded Bibles and sneakers to the recent renaming of parts of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
How the Project Unfolded
The story of the gilded statue—dubbed “Don Colossus”—goes back to before Trump’s second inauguration in January of last year.
According to reporting by The New York Times, the sculptor, Alan Cottrill, completed the project ahead of the ceremony, but it was then kept under wraps amid a payment dispute involving the group of cryptocurrency entrepreneurs and Trump supporters who had funded it. Burns said the entire project was funded by “6,000 patriots.”
Cottrill told AFP that he finally received the full payment in late April, after which the statue was installed at the golf course ahead of this week’s unveiling.
Newsweek has contacted Cottrill via email for comment.
“This was far more than a ribbon cutting. It was a moment of gratitude, honor, and remembrance,” Burns posted on X on Thursday.
Trump himself celebrated the event, sharing an image of the statue on Truth Social; calling it the “real deal” and saying it was “put there by great American Patriots.”
However, the event has drawn backlash from other religious figures, including Reverend Benjamin Cremer, a commenter known for having a progressive Christian perspective, who labeled it a breach of the Bible’s prohibition against idolatry.
“This statue was not created for worship. It was created as a symbol of resilience, patriotism, courage, and gratitude,” Burns wrote on X in response to such criticisms. “It was created to honor a man whom many may disagree with, but millions of Americans believe has done extraordinary things to make this nation stronger.”
Burns is a longtime support of Trump, and sat on the president’s Evangelical Executive Advisory Board during his first term in office.
During the ceremony this week, Trump called Burns and began by thanking him for organizing the event and those that had paid for the statue, which he said was “done from love.”
“And I want to thank Mark Burns, a pastor. He’s a good pastor. He’s a good man. I’ve known him a long time,” Trump said. “He’s been with me from the beginning. Right from the beginning. Maybe about two days later.”
And polling shows that white evangelicals remain among his strongest bases. A survey from Pew Research Center in late January found that his approval with the group stood at 69 percent. A more recent NPR/PBS News/Marist poll put this at 64 percent, down 5 points from January.
And some religious leaders have continued to voice their support for Trump amid the administration’s ongoing feud with the Vatican and Pope Leo XIV—triggered by a series of disagreements over the Iran war—that has seen his standing among American Catholics plummet.
On Saturday, another prominent, pro-Trump pastor, Robert Jeffress, told Fox News that Trump “has a better understanding of what the Bible teaches about the role of government than the pope has.”
‘Not Idol Worship,’ Says Pastor
Burns went on to reject comparisons between the Don Colossus and the “golden calf” of the Book of Exodus—the story in which the Israelites, after being led out of Egypt by Moses, crafted a golden calf to worship as they awaited his return for 40 days and nights. Upon returning from Mount Sinai, Moses destroyed the idol, and the episode has since become an enduring piece of biblical imagery associated with spiritual betrayal and the worship of graven images and false gods.
“This was not idol worship. This was honor. This was gratitude. This was patriotism,” Burns posted to X.
Update 5/10/26 11:20 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
