Authorities have taken down a statue of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein that appeared unexpectedly near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
On Tuesday, Sept. 23, a large bronze-colored statue of the president and his late former acquaintance, convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was spotted on the National Mall, according to The New York Times, CNN and The Washington Post. The artwork depicted the two holding hands and smiling at one another, posed mid-dance with raised arms and feet kicked behind them.
By Wednesday morning, U.S. Park Police had taken down the installation, per the Times.
The statue, titled Best Friends Forever, featured a plaque at its base declaring it was erected “in honor of Friendship Month.” The inscription went on to celebrate “the long-lasting bond between President Donald J. Trump and his ‘closest friend,’ Jeffrey Epstein,” and included quotes from a birthday note Trump allegedly wrote to Epstein in 2003.
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The installation had a permit to stay on the National Mall until 8 p.m. on Sept. 28, according to CBS affiliate WUSA9. The permit also included a clause allowing authorities to revoke approval with at least 24 hours’ notice to the applicant, the outlet reported.
The Park Police told WUSA9 that the statue violated the terms of the permit, though they did not specify how.
The appearance of the artwork comes amid growing public pressure on the Trump administration to release all files connected to Epstein’s crimes and death, with calls for more transparency on the issue. Trump has previously acknowledged a friendship with Epstein.
This installation is part of a recent wave of political art pieces on the National Mall. In June, a golden statue called Dictator Approved — a giant thumbs-up crushing the Statue of Liberty — appeared in the same area. A week later, another golden statue showed an eagle perched on a vintage television, its screen looping footage of Trump dancing intercut with campaign rally clips and old video of him with Epstein.
