The 'larger-than-life' statue of Donald Trump at CPAC was made in Mexico

• The life-size statue of Donald Trump at CPAC was actually made in Mexico.
• Tommy Zegan told Politico he spent over six months making it with three men in Rosarito, Mexico.
• It contrasts the "America First" agenda Trump pushed when he was in office.

The life-size statue of former President Donald Trump that was displayed at the Conservative Political Action Conference was actually made in Mexico, Politico's Playbook reported.

The artist who made it, Tommy Zegan, is an ex-pat living in Mexico. Zegan told Politico that he spent more than six months making it with the help of three men in Rosarito, Mexico.

Images of the statue show Trump wearing American-flag shorts, with a suit jacket. He's also donned sandals and a magic wand.

"He's wearing a business suit because he's a businessman. The red tie represents the Republican party, the red white and blue shorts represent the fact that he's a patriot," Zegan told the New York Post.

The fiberglass statue was moved to Tampa, Florida, and painted before it was sent to CPAC.

Zegan said that while he voted for Trump in the 2016 election, he wasn't a "big supporter."

"I mean I voted for him because I wasn't going to vote for Hillary. So I voted for him, but I didn't really care for him. I used to watch 'The Apprentice' but I would turn it off halfway. I thought, 'This is stupid,'" he said.

Zegan made another $50,000 version of the statue out of stainless steel that he hopes to sell for more than $1 million or have installed in a future Trump Presidential Library.

The making of the Trump statue in Mexico is in stark contrast to Trump's "America First" stance that he ran on during his 2016 bid for president and policies he implemented while in office.

In April 2017, Trump signed an executive order to promote the idea of "Buy American and Hire American."

"We are going to defend our workers, protect our jobs and finally put America first," Trump said.

In July 2020, it was revealed that Trump's US properties imported more than eight tons of Chinese goods. While on the campaign trail, Trump lashed out at trade agreements between the US and China. In 2018 and 2019, he spent months imposing tariffs on the country in a long back and forth battle that experts said mostly harmed US companies.

Have a news tip? Contact this reporter at salarshani@insider.com