Overview

• A 12-foot statue of President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein holding hands appeared Sept. 23 near the U.S. Capitol, with an anonymous group called The Secret Handshake claiming credit and labeling it a Friendship Month piece.
• The National Park Service had issued a permit through Sunday, but U.S. Park Police removed the work early Sept. 24 for not complying with permit conditions.
• Plaques on the base quoted lines from a birthday book note the House Oversight Committee recently released and attributed to Trump, which he denies authoring while suing the Wall Street Journal over related reporting.
• A White House spokesperson denounced the display as a waste and said Trump had previously distanced himself from Epstein, claiming the administration is providing transparency through document releases.
• The installation extends a series of protest artworks in Washington as survivor advocates and some lawmakers continue pressing for wider public access to the so‑called Epstein files.