Don Colossus: The $300K Golden Trump Statue Caught in a High-Stakes Crypto Gamble

A Gilded Tribute to the Crypto Capital

Crypto investors commissioned the piece in mid-2024 for $300,000 to honor Trump’s vocal support for digital assets. Trump, who has promised to make the United States the “crypto capital of the planet,” signed an executive order establishing a strategic Bitcoin reserve shortly after taking office in January 2025.

His family’s World Liberty Financial project raised hundreds of millions, and he even launched his own memecoin, $TRUMP. The backers of PATRIOT saw an opportunity to ride that wave by creating a physical tribute that would generate buzz in MAGA circles and online communities.

The Don Colossus Statue and Doral Plans

The statue depicts Trump with a raised fist, inspired by the moment he survived an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024.

Cottrill, an experienced Ohio-based artist known for presidential sculptures, adjusted the design at the client’s request to present a more flattering likeness, slimming the figure and refining facial features.

The investors planned to install it at Trump National Doral in Miami, Florida, a site expected to host world leaders for the G20 summit later in 2026. A concrete-and-stainless-steel pedestal was completed and installed at the resort in January 2026.

Organizers, including Trump ally Pastor Mark Burns, shared messages indicating Trump had seen images of the statue and texted that it “LOOKS FANTASTIC.”

They anticipated he would attend the unveiling.

Marketing the $PATRIOT Token

The marketing strategy relied on the statue’s visual impact. Promotional materials featuring the monument flooded social media and crypto trading communities in late 2024 and early 2025. PATRIOT, a Solana-based memecoin with a total supply of 10 billion tokens and no underlying utility beyond speculation, launched in late 2024.

It briefly captured attention amid Trump’s pro-crypto rhetoric. Around his January 2025 inauguration, the token reached a peak market capitalization of approximately $77 million, with daily trading volumes in the millions.

Supporters positioned it as a “people’s token” celebrating Trump and his base.

Market Collapse and Internal Conflicts

Reality hit hard when the coin lost more than 90% of its value within months. As of February 6, 2026, PATRIOT trades around $0.00028 to $0.00030 per token, giving it a market capitalization of roughly $2.5 million to $3 million.

Trading volume has dwindled to under $150,000 daily in many 24-hour periods. Multiple factors contributed to the collapse: the inherently speculative nature of memecoins, internal conflicts among promoters, and competition from Trump’s own $TRUMP token, which diverted hype and capital.

Broader market dynamics, including Bitcoin’s fluctuations and regulatory scrutiny around celebrity-linked tokens, added pressure.

Legal Disputes and Uncertain Future

Cottrill claims the investors owe him between $75,000 and $90,000 for intellectual property rights to use the statue’s image in marketing materials. An agreement reportedly called for a $150,000 lump-sum payment for those rights, but the final portion remains unpaid.

In text messages reviewed by major outlets, Cottrill stated he used copyrighted elements without full compensation and declared the statue would not leave his foundry until the debt is settled.

The Trump family has maintained distance from the memecoin itself. Eric Trump publicly stated on X that the Trump Organization has “no association of any kind” with PATRIOT or the $PATRIOT token, while appreciating general support.

The project’s backers include a mix of libertarian crypto developers and right-wing activists, but infighting and the token’s crash eroded momentum.

As the pedestal waits at Trump National Doral and the statue remains in Ohio, the fate of Don Colossus hangs in the balance.

Whether the monument ultimately stands as a lasting tribute or becomes another footnote in
the volatile world of crypto gambles will depend on resolving the payment dispute and reviving interest in the struggling token.