A protest in bronze: Trump and Epstein return to the Mall

A bronze statue depicting President Donald Trump holding hands with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein reappeared on the National Mall this week, reigniting debate over the boundaries of public protest and the politics of memory.

The artwork, titled “Best Friends Forever,” was originally installed last month by an anonymous collective calling itself the Secret Handshake. It was swiftly removed by the National Park Service for lacking the right permit, though the group argues that political expression in public spaces is protected speech. The sculpture resurfaced Thursday night, this time bolted to a concrete base near the site of its earlier removal and renamed “Why Can’t We Be Friends?”

Photos show the statue bearing scratches and dents from its prior confiscation. The group released a short statement on social media, saying the piece “will return as many times as it takes for the truth to be seen.”

“Just like a toppled confederate general forced back onto a public square, the Donald Trump-Jeffrey Epstein statue has risen from the rubble to stand gloriously on the National Mall once again,” a Secret Handshake member told NPR.

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Axios this week, “Liberals are free to waste their money however they see fit — but it’s not news that Epstein knew Donald Trump, because Donald Trump kicked Epstein out of his club for being a creep.”

Critics view the statue as provocative political theater. Supporters say it’s a necessary confrontation with the darker associations of power and privilege. The work arrives amid a series of renewed investigations into Epstein’s network and follows the recent controversy over a proposed $1 Trump coin to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary.

Park Service officials have not said whether the statue will again be removed. For now, it stands as an unauthorized fixture — and a reminder of how art and politics continue to collide on the nation’s most symbolic lawn.