- Title: Trump immortalized in wax as Madame Tussauds unveils his likeness
- Date: 18th January 2017
- Summary: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (JANUARY 18, 2017) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF THE NEWLY-UNVEILED WAX FIGURE OF PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP (SOUNDBITE) (English) THERESE ALVICH, GENERAL MANAGER, MADAME TUSSAUDS, WASHINGTON, D.C., SAYING: "Yeah it was quite a challenge for him, with all the fingers are, because we try to get it so exactly right. Measurements were taken from his first sitting back in 1997, from his first figure, to get all his measurements correct. They've been updated. Getting his coloring, you know, took a bit, getting his hair perfect. We spent a lot of time yesterday especially getting, trying to get the hair perfect. You know, it's so iconic, so, it's going to be some upkeep for him as well." VARIOUS WAX FIGURES OF HISTORIC U.S. PRESIDENTS IN THE MUSEUM'S "PRESIDENT'S GALLERY", INCLUDING GEORGE WASHINGTON WIDE OF THE WAX FIGURES OF OUTGOING U.S. PRESIDENT, BARACK OBAMA, WITH WIFE, MICHELLE OBAMA CLOSE UP OF WAX FIGURE OF OUTGOING U.S. PRESIDENT, BARACK OBAMA VARIOUS OF WAX FIGURE OF FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, GEORGE W. BUSH VARIOUS OF WAX FIGURE OF FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, THE LATE RICHARD M. NIXON, GIVING HIS TELEVISED RESIGNATION SPEECH AT HIS DESK VARIOUS OF WAX FIGURES OF FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, THE LATE JOHN F. KENNEDY, AND HIS WIFE, JACQUELINE KENNEDY, STANDING IN FRONT OF THE PRESIDENTIAL PLANE ON THE DAY OF KENNEDTY'S ASSASSINATION IN TEXAS (SOUNDBITE) (English) THERESE ALVICH, GENERAL MANAGER, MADAME TUSSAUDS, WASHINGTON, D.C., IN EXCHANGE WITH REPORTER: ALVICH: "So a lot of, you know, talk goes back and forth on how do we portray him? But we try to portray them in the way that people know them, you know? And he is known, you know? He's not really a smiley kind of guy. So when people think about him, this is kind of the serious, you know, confident look that he portrays. REPORTER: "Not terribly friendly, though, in this position. ALVICH: "Not friendly but I think it's really him. I think it really captures him." VARIOUS OF THE NEWLY-UNVEILED WAX FIGURE OF PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP (SOUNDBITE) (English) THERESE ALVICH, GENERAL MANAGER, MADAME TUSSAUDS, WASHINGTON, D.C., SAYING: "We never know. We're always prepared. We're prepared. You know, we're apolitical here at Madam Tussauds so we have no, you know, we don't go either way. We're just happy to have him here. We are the Presidents Gallery so keeping in history we will have all the presidents. We have staff that will be around in case something, you know, goes wrong. But we're anticipating the best. We're not too concerned." VARIOUS OF THE MUSEUM'S EXTERIOR
- Embargoed: 1st February 2017 15:39
- Keywords: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump Madame Tussauds wax museum wax figure statue
- Location: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES
- City: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0015ZM0APZ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: THIS WEDNESDAY EDIT REPLACES EDIT 2278 WHICH WAS SENT USING AN INCORRECT TUESDAY EDIT NUMBER
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump was immortalized in wax on Wednesday (January 18) when the world famous Madame Tussauds wax museum unveiled his presidential likeness on the eve of his inauguration.
A lifelike statue was revealed simultaneously at the Madame Tussauds museums in Washington, New York, Orlando, Florida and London.
At the exhibit in Washington, not far from the White House, Trump's wax figure was shown standing in a recreation of the White House Rose Garden, dressed in a dark blue suit with a red tie and an American flag lapel pin.
Therese Alvich, General Manager of Madame Tussauds in Washington, said the statue was designed by updating scores of measurements that were taken of Trump during his previous sitting for Tussauds back in 1997 when he was a famous real estate mogul.
"It was quite a challenge for him… Getting his (skin) coloring, you know, took a bit, getting his hair perfect. We spent a lot of time yesterday especially getting, trying to get, the hair perfect. It's so iconic."
The statue stands in the museum's President's Gallery, which contains the wax likeness of U.S. presidents going back to George Washington.
The unveiling comes one day after two polls showed Trump has the lowest approval rates for any incoming U.S. president since such polling began in the 1940's, surpassing both George W. Bush and Richard M. Nixon in their unpopularity.
Still, the museum expects many visitors to the Trump exhibit as he takes office, including by school children and people who are just plain curious.
When asked if it is expecting any negative impact because of planned protests against Trump near his inauguration, Alvich said the museum is "prepared".
"We have staff that will be around in case something, you know, goes wrong. But we're anticipating the best. We're not too concerned."
Dozens of activist groups plan to protest the Jan. 20 inauguration of the New York real estate developer, whose supporters are counting on him to fulfill a host of controversial campaign promises including building a wall on the Mexican border and deporting millions of illegal immigrants. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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