Washington, D.C. — A controversial sculpture linking former President Donald Trump to financier Jeffrey Epstein reappeared on the National Mall yesterday.
The installation, titled “Best Friends Forever,” depicts Trump and Epstein holding hands in a cartoonish pose, their legs lifted as if mid-skip. Painted in bronze tones, the figures stand more than 10 feet tall and contain a plaque with quotes from Jeffrey Epstein’s birthday book.
The statue was previously removed by the National Park Service, which cited permitting issues. But an anonymous activist group calling itself The Secret Handshake returned the piece to the Mall Thursday afternoon, saying their right to install political art had been upheld by a new permit filing.
When federal workers dismantled the sculpture last week, the figures’ hands were broken apart, leaving visible damage. On its return, the artists reattached the missing sections, leaving faint cracks that are still visible.
The collective has staged similar stunts in Washington before, often satirizing Trump and his political allies. One earlier piece, “Dictator Approved,” portrayed Trump with authoritarian symbols; another mocked his time in office with a fabricated “presidential desk.”
White House aides dismissed the effort, saying the former president had long distanced himself from Epstein and accusing the artists of chasing attention during a government shutdown that has left federal staffing stretched thin.
