Madame Tussauds in Berlin dumps Donald Trump before US election

The waxwork museum Madame Tussauds in Berlin loaded its effigy of TV star-turned Republican President Donald Trump into a dumpster on Friday, a move apparently intended to reflect its expectations of next Tuesday's presidential election.

In what seemed a further calculated insult, the statue of his predecessor and nemesis Barack Obama, who counted Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel among his closest allies, remained in place, beaming and besuited.

"Today's activity is rather of a symbolic character ahead of the elections in the United States," said the museum's marketing manager Orkide Yalcindag. "We here at Madame Tussauds Berlin removed Donald Trump's waxwork as a preparatory measure."

Trump has trailed his Democratic challenger Joe Biden in national opinion polls for months, partly because of widespread disapproval of his handling of the coronavirus pandemic sweeping Europe and the United States, though recent polls have shown him gaining ground in a handful of key states.

Madame Tussauds's display also includes former US presidents: regardless of the outcome, Trump and his dumpster are likely to be wheeled back before long.