Trump‑Epstein Statue Removed Over Permit Dispute

On Sept. 23 a 12-foot bronze-colored statue titled "Best Friends Forever," depicting President Donald Trump holding hands with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and bearing plaques referencing "Friendship Month" and alleged excerpts of a lewd birthday card, was installed on the east end of the National Mall near the U.S. Capitol. The National Park Service/U.S. Park Police removed and damaged the work less than 24 hours later in an early-morning action. Organizers identifying as the anonymous collective The Secret Handshake said they obtained a permit to display the piece through Sept. 28 and that they were not given a 24-hour notice to correct permit issues. Interior Department and NPS officials said the statue did not comply with its permit, citing a height discrepancy, and later denied or revoked subsequent or reissued permit applications to reinstall it. The artists alleged abrupt revocation of permits, intervention by a senior NPS official and a heavy law-enforcement presence at planned reinstall sites, prompting accusations the removal suppressed politically charged speech; the White House downplayed the installation. The sculpture remains off the Mall and organizers say their efforts to return it have been blocked by the Park Service's permit decisions and enforcement actions.