| The Master Drone | |
|---|---|
| Italian:Il Pa-Drone | |
 | |
| Artist | Fabrizio Galli |
| Year | 2019 |
| Medium | Papier-mâché |
| Subject | Donald Trump |
| Location | Viareggio, Italy |
The Master Drone (Italian:Il Pa-Drone), popularly referred to asGod Emperor Trump, was a 65-foot (20-metre)papier-mâché sculpture andfloat depictingDonald Trump, thepresident of the United States, dressed as the fictional God Emperor of Mankind from theWarhammer 40,000 miniature war game franchise. It was created by the Italian artist Fabrizio Galli for theCarnival of Viareggio in 2019.
The sculpture depicted Donald Trump wearing golden armour based on that of the God Emperor of Mankind fromWarhammer 40,000. The knee and shoulder pads of the armour depicted the heads of various political figures.[1] In his right hand, Trump held a sword with four blue birds, representingTwitter, the platform from which he criticized his perceived enemies and promoted his positions.[2][3] Engraved on the blade of the sword was the Italian phrasedazi vostri, which translates to 'your taxes' or 'your duties',[1][2] but is also a pun oncazzi vostri, meaning 'you're in trouble'.[4][5] According to Fabrizio, the phrase could mean 'here's your fucking tariffs'.[6] The sculpture included multiple moving parts.[2]
The artist of the sculpture, Fabrizio Galli, stated that the sculpture was intended to mock the Trump presidency, and that Trump shares parallels with the fictional dictator fromWarhammer 40,000.[2] Pointing out Trump's goals ofMars colonisation and the creation of theUnited States Space Force, Galli stated that politics had abandoned intellectualism in favour of "fantasy" and "virtual life".[4][7] The sword was intended as symbolic of Trump "trying to destroy nations with the economy instead of nuclear missiles".[8][6] This has been interpreted as a reference to theWarhammer 40,000 concept of Exterminatus, or the destruction of an entire planet.[7]
Images of Donald Trump photoshopped into the armour of the God Emperor of Mankind, as well as the title of "God Emperor Trump", had beenInternet memes used by Trump supporters prior to the float's debut.[9][10]
Although the sculpture was intended to criticise Trump, many of his supporters embraced it, withEmerald Robinson, the White House correspondent forOne America News Network, stating that the Italian carnival looked "more fun" than the AmericanThanksgiving Day Parade because of the float.[1][11] Several conservative commentators interpreted the float to be a tribute to Trump, claiming that the carnival was a parade in his honour.[5]
TheHuffington Post described the sculpture as "terrifying".[6]