A life-size sculpture depicting President Donald Trump crucified on a cross-shaped gurney has been installed in downtown Basel, sparking condemnation for its graphic and political nature.
The work, titled “The Saint or the Sinner,” was created by a masked British artist who goes by the name Mason Storm.
The “artist” Mason Storm pic.twitter.com/4z5H5djynF
— Mambo Italiano (@mamboitaliano__) November 5, 2025
The hyper-realistic figure portrays President Trump in an orange prison jumpsuit, arms spread in a cruciform position, and appears lifeless as if executed by lethal injection.
The installation follows a string of anti-Trump imagery that has emerged in recent years, including violent theatrical performances and mock depictions of the president’s death.
The sculpture was first exhibited earlier this year in Vienna and was scheduled for display at Basel’s central train station before being relocated due to safety concerns.
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According to the Gleis 4 gallery, which originally organized the display, the exhibition at the train station was canceled because of “expected large crowds and feared disturbances.”
Instead, the sculpture was quietly installed Saturday in a showcase window along Kunstmeile, a busy pedestrian walkway in Basel.
Storm described his work online as a “’,” writing, “In a world increasingly driven by polarized narratives, this work offers a moment of reflection, urging us to take responsibility — and to realize that every decision tells a story.”
Despite those comments, the artist made his personal stance on Trump explicit, writing separately, “He’s not the messiah he’s a very naughty boy!”
The sculpture’s unveiling comes amid heightened tensions over the treatment of political figures in art and media.
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President Donald Trump, dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit and tied to a cross
The “artwork” created by British “artist” Mason Storm and titled “Saint or Sinner?”, has caused quite a stir during its exhibition in Basel, Switzerland
Horriblepic.twitter.com/OMK4mJfJHH
— Mambo Italiano (@mamboitaliano__) November 5, 2025
Earlier examples include a controversial New York theater production that depicted Trump’s assassination and a 2017 photo shoot in which comedian Kathy Griffin posed with a fake severed head resembling the president.
The climate surrounding depictions of violence against President Trump has drawn renewed attention following recent polling data highlighting open hostility among some left-leaning respondents.
A study released in April by the Network Contagion Research Institute and Rutgers University’s Social Perception Lab found that 55% of individuals identifying as left of center said that assassinating Trump would be at least “somewhat justified.”
When asked about the September 2024 assassination attempt on the president at his Florida golf course, 28% of Democrats surveyed said it would have been “better for Trump to have been slaughtered on the green.”
The findings have raised concerns about the normalization of violence in political discourse and popular culture.
While the Basel exhibition drew attention for its realism and shock value, the backlash has been swift.
Bishop Hermann Glettler of the Diocese of Innsbruck described the sculpture as “simply deviant,” condemning the piece’s depiction of a sitting U.S. president as sacrilegious and inflammatory.
French news outlet France24 reported that the sculpture has already been purchased by an “internationally renowned figure living in Europe,” though the buyer’s identity has not been disclosed.
Despite attempts to frame the display as a commentary on division, the sculpture has reignited debate over the boundaries of political art, freedom of expression, and public decency.
For many observers, the image of a crucified American president displayed in a European city represents the deepening cultural hostility that has surrounded President Trump throughout his presidency and beyond.
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