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Several religious leaders in Florida have condemned the unveiling of a golden statue of Donald Trump at the Trump National Doral golf course in Miami, following a recent ceremony presided over by evangelical pastor John Mark Burns.
The sculpture, named "Don Colossus," stands 22 feet tall and is valued at $450,000.
Represents Trump raising his right fist, in the gesture he made after surviving the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony, presided over by Burns —spiritual advisor to the president and board member of Pastors for Trump— alongside dozens of other religious leaders, sparked an immediate critical reaction among the clergy of the state.
The pastor Laurinda Hafner of the Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ stated that she was "deeply disturbed" by the act.
"When we build an imposing golden image of an elected official, we are no longer just thanking God. We are visually exalting a human being in a way that blurs the line between legitimate gratitude and idolatrous devotion," Hafner stated.
The pastor was more direct in adding: "In my Christian faith, no president, no party, no nation should be worshipped."
The Reverend Arthur Jones III, minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fort Myers, was even more forceful in his criticism of Pastor Burns and other religious leaders close to Trump.
"It is so outrageous what he has done. He is not teaching the gospel. In fact, he is advocating and teaching idolatry and blasphemy," Jones stated.
"Pastor Burns is completely wrong in what he did, and he knows it. You are jeopardizing the spiritual lives of people by recklessly seeking power, and that is wrong," he added.
Jones also noted that Trump's approach to religious freedom is more a response to Christian Nationalism than to Christianity itself, and that "it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between the two."
The Reverend Nyya Toussaint of First Church Miami stated that Burns introduced the reference to the biblical "golden calf" precisely to preempt accusations that the president's circle idolizes Trump.
Burns responded to the criticism on May 8 in a post on X, where he referenced multiple biblical passages to differentiate between "honoring" and "worshiping."
"Honoring those who deserve honor is biblical. Bowing down and worshiping an idol is sinful. There is an important difference," wrote the pastor.
Burns also compared the tribute to statues dedicated to figures such as Michael Jordan, Cristiano Ronaldo, or Taylor Swift, arguing that the sculpture is "a symbol of resilience, patriotism, courage, and gratitude" created by over 6,000 donors.
The White House denied having any official involvement in the event, although according to Burns himself, Trump called in and addressed the crowd directly during the ceremony.
Hafner concluded his stance with a call to the faithful: “Our worship belongs only to God and not to any golden image, and certainly not to any president. Faithfulness at this moment means turning our eyes away from the golden statues and directing our gaze towards our neighbors who are hungry, who are suffering, and who need justice and compassion.”
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