APRIL FOOL: DeSantis to recast Unconditional Surrender as the Trumps

Gov. Ron DeSantis is quietly pushing an initiative through the Florida Legislature to recast the Unconditional Surrender statute in Sarasota.

The governor’s plan calls for the replacement of the iconic soldier and the nurse featured in the statue, with Donald and Melania Trump assuming the traditional pose.

Unconditional Surrender, sometimes called the kissing statue, is based on a photograph taken in Times Square on V-J Day in 1945, capturing the moment when a sailor dipped a nurse and kissed her during a celebration marking the end of World War II.

A design of what the recast statue would look like included in state paperwork shows Melania Trump in a black Chanel evening dress with a slit halfway up her knee. She is bent backward as the president, in a blue suit and red tie, also down to his knees, holds her with his left arm as he leans down to kiss her.

Both Trumps are gold in the design, though it is unclear if it is intended for them to be solid gold or just plated when the statue is complete.

In a memorandum attached to the design, an unidentified staffer raises the question about whether the kiss depicted in the original photograph was consensual and “in what light will that cast the president” if it wasn’t.

A handwritten notation next the comment, which appears to be in DeSantis’ handwriting, dismisses the concern saying, “Won’t be the first time he’s accused of that! LOL.”

LOL is internet slang to denote laughing.

Another concern in the memorandum is from the designer, Russian artist Alexei Polyakov. He worries about the president’s left hand, which will be exposed behind Melania’s head as it is cradled for the kiss. The designer asks if it would be offensive if a separate hired hand model would “not distort perspective.”

DeSantis’ office did not respond to a request for comment.

The plan for the recasting the of the iconic statue on Sarasota’s waterfront part of a bill calling for the creation of the Elon Musk Natural Preserve in Immokalee on land that is currently part of the Florida Wildlife Corridor.

Republican leaders in the House have backed the Musk bill, but surprised to learn an amendment dealing with Unconditional Surrender had made its way into the legislation.

Several legislators expressed anger, saying they felt blindsided by including the funding for the project in another, unrelated bill.

Democrats expressed dismay the legislative session had begun, and no one had told them.

A big reason for the Republican backlash is that legislators are already pushing for a statue to honor Trump.

That plan, which has nearly universal support in the party, calls for a statue modeled on the William Penn sculpture that sits atop Philadelphia’s City Hall.

That one is bronze, 37 feet tall and weighs 53,000 pounds. What Republicans are proposing in Florida is one of Trump atop the Capitol building that is 38 feet tall and weighs 53,100 pounds.

Like the one in Sarasota, it too would be gold.

If DeSantis cannot sway Republicans to fund the project and get the proposal through the legislature, there are alternatives.

DeSantis could use eminent domain to take over Bayfront Park and then pay for the new statute on his own.

“That is the end around and, honestly, the easiest way to go about it,” said James McGill, a local attorney recently pardoned by Trump and now running for a seat on the Manatee County Commission. “He can just get it done and nobody can get in his way.”

McGill said while DeSantis could not use state money without the legislature’s permission, there is nothing preventing from dipping into his Fealty Fund.

The Fealty Fund is the political action committee DeSantis created using campaign funds from his failed presidential campaign. The money, according to financial disclosure forms filed with the Federal Election Commission, is earmarked for projects that “prove loyalty and servitude to the whims of Donald J. Trump.”

A FEC spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment by deadline on whether recasting the statue fell under the purview of the Super PAC. The department is only open between 10 a.m. and noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

One other challenge is that the financial disclosure records show as of April 1, 2025, the Fealty Fund has a balance of $372.96 after it bought 741 God Bless the USA Bibles as “gifts for staff” and invested $2.1 million in Truth Media stock.