Trump waxwork joins world leaders at London, Paris museums

Madame Tussauds’ employee Helen Smith takes a selfie next to the wax figure of US President-elect Donald Trump, in London. (AP)

LONDON: A Donald Trump waxwork was unveiled on Thursday at Madame Tussauds museum in London, complete with his signature suntan — and yak hair. The figure will now reside in the museum alongside fellow famous politicians and global icons also immortalized in wax.
Dressed in a navy suit, white shirt and red tie, the wax figure of Trump was placed in a mock-up of the White House’s Oval Office.
With a United States flag lapel pinned to his suit jacket, the model stands with his hands to his waist and a somber look on his lined face.
Specialists were brought in to weave yak hair into Trump’s scalp, while makeup artists went about creating his suntanned look.
“Since Mr. Trump was announced as the victorious candidate in what was a nail-biting and hard-fought campaign for both parties, our studio team have been frantically busy matching his infamous glowing tan and trademark hairstyle in time for the start of his presidential reign,” said museum manager Edward Fuller.
Trump is due to be inaugurated as US president on Friday, after his surprise victory in the November election.
His arrival at Madame Tussauds’s version of the Oval Office saw the outgoing president Barack Obama moved out of the museum display.
Meanwhile, Trump was also standing among world leaders at the Grevin wax museum in Paris on Thursday — though the sculptor admits the hair posed a challenge.
Sculpted in record time — just over two months, the wax likeness stands next to one of German leader Angela Merkel and at arm’s length from Vladimir Putin of Russia.
The museum was so certain that Clinton would win the November election that it decided to forgo the trouble of sculpting statues for both candidates.
“We should have had both ready, to be safe,” said sculptor Eric Saint Chaffray. “So we were under time pressure,” he told AFP, adding that he worked from photos and videos.
“Luckily he has sharp features that are easily caricatured. That’s an advantage for us,” said Chaffray, who has been sculpting US presidents for more than 20 years at the Grevin.