A Staten Island artist is making national headlines for his “huuuge” commissioned work honoring a muscular President Donald Trump.
Scott Lobaido installed a 20-foot tall installation in a client’s yard showing a beefy, muscular bust of Trump atop a red-white-and-blue “2020” that lights up at night, ABC 7 NY reported. The president, as envisioned by Lobaido, has “huuuge” arms like a bodybuilder and wears a T-shirt proclaiming “POTUS 45” and is surrounded by American flags.
The client installed security cameras around his house to protect the work.
“I’m an artist … and this is my work,” Lobaido told ABC 7 NY.
A previous pro-Trump creation of his was burned by a vandal or vandals. It was a 12-foot-high “T” with a flag motif.
The new client will have his neighbors’ help in protecting the installation. The Harris Avenue home in Staten Island is a pro-Trump enclave of the bright blue New York City. ABC 7 NY interviewed some of the client’s neighbors who voiced their support for the artwork. One said the installation should be even larger.
You can see the ABC 7 NY report here:
Lobaido’s website describes himself as a patriotic artist.
“Throughout my 50 years, people have often said I was born in the wrong era,” his website says. “Long fascinated by post World War II America, glamour girls, the Rat Pack, big band music, and all things classic Americana, I’ve always loved strong cultural symbolism.”
Lobaido embarked on a 10-month, 50-state tour in 2015 to paint American flag murals. He told The Tennessee Star his Tennessee stop featured the VFW in Nashville.
“My artwork promoted patriotism without the use of political rhetoric deliberately,” his website says. “As I trekked solo on an incredible grassroots journey, l eagerly soaked in veterans, families, passer-bys and our collective stories mile by mile. By the end of it, I had painted a U.S. flag rooftop mural in every single state.”
Lobaido said he has no immediate plans to bring his Trump artwork to Tennessee before the November midterm election, but he is available if asked. His estimated fee, including travel expenses, would be $5,000. His contact information is on his website.
Hiring Lobaido might make sense for a pro-Trump organization in the Volunteer State. A Tennessee Star statewide poll of 1,040 likely Republican Primary voters conducted by Triton Polling from June 25-28, 2018 indicates that President Trump retains a sky high approval rating of 86.5 percent; only 7.9 percent have an unfavorable view of Trump, with 5.6 percent undecided.
When asked if the Nashville Tea Party might commission Lobaido, the organization’s president, Ben Cunningham, said no. But he likes the artwork.
“It’s an interesting idea and I certainly admire whoever it was (client) for having the chutzpah … for putting the sculpture at his house,” Cunningham said. “That embodies the Trump phenomenon. People are tired of being called the whole litany of names by the left. Those who are proud of their support of Trump … ought to feel free to do it in so many ways.”
