Yeah, yeah, Trump is back in the White House, unfortunately, but so is the BEAUTIFUL art he inspires — namely, the kind made from 2,020 vintage metal dildos. Cleveland-based public artist and designer Stephen Manka’s large-scale portrait of Donald J. Trump, dubbed SCROTUS, feels less like a relic of the past and more like prophetic preparation for his second coming.
Originally conceived during Trump’s first term, Manka’s portrait is composed entirely of salvaged industrial dildos — artifacts of Cleveland’s historic connection to sex toy manufacturing. The piece was both a playful jab and a pointed political statement, but now, in 2025, it feels less like satire and more like a monument in the most literal sense.
“The topic of monuments is front and center,” Manka said in an interview with Hyperallergic. “Confederate monuments are toppling. An incredible Kehinde Wiley’s Rumors of War is unveiled. And our President [is] mugging with his face positioned on Mount Rushmore.”
That was 2020. Fast forward to today, and the cultural questions around power, legacy, and representation are only more intense — with Trump’s return to office doubling down on the cult of personality. And so, Manka’s dildo-portrait resurfaces with renewed relevance.
“What is a proper monument to mark the hopeful end of divisive Trumpism?” Manka asked at the time. “None at all. Or Dongs.”
Indeed — DONGS!
Manka’s collection of phallic scrap metal came from a local dealer, possibly tied to the lost inventory of Reuben Sturman, founder of Doc Johnson and the so-called “Walt Disney of Porn,” who once turned Cleveland into a quiet capital of adult novelty production. Whether or not these relics are truly Sturman’s legacy, they’ve been reborn as a different kind of tribute — one not to power, but to the absurdity of it.
Now housed in his studio, these dongs — grimy, glimmering, and glorious — are still waiting for their next public appearance. Back in 2020, Manka launched a Kickstarter campaign to bring SCROTUS to the people. In 2025, maybe the people are finally ready to see it.
“There really is an incredible variety,” Manka said. “Along with the expected gruesome and veiny bastards, there are some that look like stolen artifact[s] broken off a Kama Sutra Temple. Or a valve tip from the Michelin Man.”
After all, what better way to mark America’s déjà vu presidency than with a portrait of its most divisive figure — built from the very objects that sum up his whole vibe?
About Stephen Manka
Stephen Manka is a Cleveland-based public artist and designer known for his bold, conceptual installations that blend sculpture, architecture, and social commentary. Through his studio, Manka Design Studio, he creates large-scale public art projects that often incorporate industrial materials and engage with civic and cultural identity. His work spans from elegant urban sculptures to provocative political pieces, like the infamous SCROTUS portrait composed of vintage metal dildos — a cheeky yet biting response to contemporary American leadership and monument culture. Visit his website at https://mankadesignstudio.com.
—P.
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