A striking bronze-painted statue, which depicted former President Donald Trump and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein holding hands and kicking up their heels, was removed from the National Mall in Washington on Wednesday, September 24, 2025. The clandestine installation had appeared overnight.
The artwork, which surfaced on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, featured life-sized figures of Trump and Epstein standing on white pedestals, smiling at each other with an arm and a leg raised, as if mid-dance. A plaque prominently displayed the piece’s title: “Best Friends Forever.”
A group identifying itself as “The Secret Handshake” took credit for the controversial statue, according to reports received by NPR and other media outlets.
An Interior Department spokeswoman confirmed the statue’s removal, stating it was taken down because it did not comply with issued permits.
Before sunrise on Wednesday, the U.S. Park Police loaded the installation onto a truck and transported it away, as captured in videos shared on social media.
This marks the latest instance of an art installation designed to draw attention to Trump’s past association with Epstein. Just last week, four individuals were arrested after projecting images of Trump alongside Epstein onto Windsor Castle during the U.S. president’s state visit to Britain.
While acknowledging a past social acquaintance with Epstein, Trump has consistently maintained that their friendship ended long before Epstein’s death in jail in 2019.
Earlier this month, Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives publicized a birthday note purportedly written by Trump to Epstein over two decades ago. The White House has denied the letter’s authenticity, which included the suggestive line: “May every day be another wonderful secret.”