If you were walking near the U.S. Capitol in late September 2025, you might’ve done a double-take. Or maybe a triple-take. Standing twelve feet tall against the D.C. skyline was a sight most people never expected to see in bronze: a statue of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, hand-in-hand, looking like they were having the time of their lives.
It was weird. It was provocative. And honestly, it didn't last very long.
The installation, titled "Best Friends Forever" (and sometimes referred to by the catchy 70s song title "Why Can’t We Be Friends?"), popped up on the east end of the National Mall on September 23, 2025. It wasn't a sanctioned government monument, obviously. Instead, it was a piece of guerrilla protest art that managed to snag a legitimate permit before the authorities realized exactly what they had signed off on.
The Story Behind the Statue of Trump and Epstein on the National Mall
The sculpture didn't just appear out of thin air. It was the work of an anonymous activist collective calling themselves "The Secret Handshake." These are the same folks who previously dropped a statue of a "poop emoji" on Nancy Pelosi’s desk and a "Dictator Approved" sculpture featuring a golden thumbs-up crushing the Statue of Liberty. They have a brand, and that brand is basically "high-effort trolling."
The statue of Trump and Epstein was massive. We're talking 12 feet of foam, resin, wood, and wire, all meticulously painted to look like weathered bronze. The two figures were depicted in a "frolicking" or prancing pose—arms linked, one leg kicked up in the air—mounted on a base made to look like marble.
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At the base, the creators didn't hold back. A plaque "celebrated" what it called the "long-lasting bond" between the President and his "closest friend." It even included a bit of a deep-cut reference: a quote from a controversial 2003 birthday letter allegedly sent by Trump to Epstein. Trump has spent a lot of time and legal fees denying he ever wrote that letter, which just made the statue’s inclusion of it even more of a poke in the eye.
Why was it even there?
The timing wasn't an accident. September is "Friendship Month," and the artists leaned into that irony hard. But the real "why" goes deeper than just a joke. In late 2025, the political atmosphere in D.C. was thick with tension over the so-called "Epstein Files."
For years, there’s been a massive public push to release every document related to Jeffrey Epstein’s network. While the Trump administration eventually signed legislation to compel the release of more documents in November 2025, the "Best Friends Forever" statue was designed to keep the heat on. It was a physical reminder of a connection the White House has spent years trying to downplay.
The Midnight Takedown and the Permit Battle
Here’s where it gets kinda messy from a legal standpoint. The Secret Handshake actually had a permit. According to records from the National Park Service (NPS), the installation was supposed to stay up until 8:00 PM on Sunday, September 28.
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It didn't make it 24 hours.
By 5:30 AM the next morning, U.S. Park Police moved in. Eyewitnesses recorded officers dismantling the figures and hauling them away in unmarked trucks. The official line from the Department of the Interior was that the statue was "not in compliance with the permit," but they were remarkably vague about what that actually meant. One officer on the scene reportedly told bystanders it was "too big," which is a tough sell when you’re standing in the shadow of the Washington Monument.
"I’ve been a location manager for 40 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this," said Carol Flaisher, the person who helped secure the permit. "They didn't give the 24-hour notice required by the agreement. They just showed up in the dark and took it."
The statue was actually damaged during the removal—ripped from its pedestal and broken into pieces. But The Secret Handshake isn't easily deterred. They repaired the thing and, during a federal government shutdown in early October, they actually managed to get it back onto the Mall for a few more days.
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What the White House Had to Say
The response from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue was exactly what you’d expect: dismissive and sharp. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told reporters that "liberals are free to waste their money however they see fit," but doubled down on the narrative that Trump had cut ties with Epstein decades ago.
The administration’s stance has always been that Trump kicked Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago once he realized Epstein was a "creep." Critics, however, point to the 2002 New York Magazine quote where Trump called Epstein a "terrific guy" as evidence that the relationship was more than just a casual acquaintance. The statue was essentially a physical manifestation of that unresolved debate.
Actionable Insights: What This Means for Free Speech
The saga of the statue of Trump and Epstein on the National Mall is more than just a weird news blurb. It raises some real questions about how the government handles "unpopular" speech on public land.
- Permit Power: If you’re planning a protest or an art installation, having a permit is your strongest shield, but as this case shows, it isn't a suit of armor. The government can—and will—find "compliance issues" if the message is radioactive enough.
- The Digital Afterlife: After the statue was confiscated, The Secret Handshake released the 3D printing files online for free. If you have a 3D printer, you can literally make your own "miniature" version of the controversy. This is the new reality of protest art: you can take down the physical object, but you can’t delete the code.
- Keep an Eye on the Files: The real story isn't the foam statue; it’s the documents. With the 2025 legislation forcing the release of more Epstein-related records, the context behind these protests is likely to change as more facts come to light.
If you’re ever in D.C. and want to see where the drama went down, head to the east end of the Mall near the Capitol. The statue is long gone—it ended up at a Busboys and Poets coffeehouse for a while—but the debate it sparked about transparency and political history is still very much alive.
For those interested in the actual legalities of the Epstein case or the ongoing document releases, checking the official House Oversight Committee archives is the best way to separate the art from the evidence.