'Kicky leg' statue of Epstein, Trump holding hands back in DC after government shutdown

[Uncle Joe]

Secret Handshake statue, 'Best Friends Forever,' was spotted at the National Mall in Washington, DC, on Oct. 2, a day after the government shutdown began.

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The statue of President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein holding hands wasn't the first anti-Trump protest statue to go up on the National Mall. But those behind it said the National Park Service's move to take down the installation was "unbelievable" and "disappointing."

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A statue depicting U.S. President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein holding hands is seen near the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 23, 2025, in Washington, D.C. A plaque below the figure states "In Honor of Friendship Month." Anna Moneymaker, Getty Images

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The Secret Handshake told USA TODAY they are a small group of citizens using art and humor to prompt political discourse. The statue was located across the street from the U.S. Capitol building, facing the expanse of the National Mall lawns that leads to the Washington Monument. They said the statue took about a month to build.

The Secret Handshake has put up anti-Trump installations in the past. The group also erected the so-called "Dictator Approved" piece, an 8-foot-tall sculpture of a hand squashing the crown of the Statue of Liberty while making a thumbs-up gesture; and the "Gold TV statue" multimedia installation, in which a golden TV showed images of Trump dancing, including with Epstein.

But this one seemed to have a bigger impact, Flaisher said, pointing out it received a mention from "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on CBS. He put the statue in the same "victory for free speech" category as the return of Jimmy Kimmel to his late-night spot on ABC following a suspension over comments about how Trump and Republicans responded to the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Colbert went on to say, "thank you (NPS) for protecting free speech for almost 24 hours," in a joke about the statue's removal.

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https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/2025/10/03/trump-epstein-holding-hands-statue-shutdown/86499880007/