Overview

• The 12‑foot, bronze‑painted figures of President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, installed Sept. 23 by an anonymous group called The Secret Handshake, were taken down before sunrise on Sept. 24.
• An Interior Department spokesperson said the piece was removed for permit noncompliance, with the National Park Service citing conditions attached to the authorization.
• Members of The Secret Handshake say their permit allowed display through Sunday and that Park Police removed the work without the 24‑hour notice they expected, alleging the statue was damaged in the process.
• Plaques on the installation quoted lines from a 2003 birthday message attributed to Trump that House Democrats publicized this month, which the White House disputes as inauthentic; Trump has sued the Wall Street Journal over its reporting on the note.
• Coverage of the permit shows discrepancies over approved dimensions and on‑site conditions, and the brief display intensified attention on Epstein‑related document releases and the boundaries for protest art on federal land.