A pair of bronze statues, one of U.S. President Donald Trump and the other of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, appeared on Tuesday on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
The temporary installation, entitled “Best Friends Forever,” depicts the men holding hands as they frolic, smile, and stare into each other’s eyes.
A cyclist stops to take photos of a statue featuring President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein dancing, titled “In Honor of Friendship Month,” that appeared on the east end of the National Mall in Washington on Tuesday morning, September 23, 2025.
Bill Clark/ Getty Images
“We celebrate the long-lasting bond between President Donald J. Trump and his ‘closest friend,’ Jeffrey Epstein,” read a plaque at the foot of the installation, according to The Guardian.
Carved separately were quotes from a sexually suggestive note Trump allegedly wrote to Epstein on his 50th birthday, the news outlet wrote.
Trump denied the note was of his creation and, according to the Wall Street Journal report describing the letter in July, said it was “a fake thing.”
A permit from the National Park Service allowed the installation to remain in place until 8:00 p.m. on Sunday. However, the New York Times reported that park police removed the statue on Wednesday morning, as it was deemed non-compliant with the permit.
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The creators of the effigy have not been identified, and its origins are unknown, according to multiple media reports, including The Guardian and The Times.
However, its mysterious placement, within walking distance of the White House, offered a nagging reminder of Trump’s longstanding association with the billionaire financier, one that he has tried to shake amid mounting pressure from both his allies and adversaries to release the Epstein files.
Trump has filed multiple billion-dollar lawsuits against media outlets for digging into documents allegedly tying him to Epstein, including a $10 billion filing against the Wall Street Journal after it released the birthday letter, and a $15 billion defamation action against the New York Times, which was tossed out by a judge last week.
Although its presence was brief, the satirical “Best Friends Forever” statue was one of several to appear in the U.S. capital city in recent times.
Last October, a bronze statue of a giant pile of poop sitting on what represented Nancy Pelosi’s desk appeared on the National Mall in a satirical nod to the people who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
“This memorial honors the brave men and women who broke into the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021 to loot, urinate and defecate throughout those hallowed halls in order to overturn an election,” the plaque under the statue read.
“President Trump celebrates these heroes of January 6th as ‘unbelievable patriots’ and ‘warriors.’ This monument stands as a testament to their daring sacrifice and lasting legacy,” the plaque also said.
In June, a statue of a golden thumbs-up crushing the crown of the Statue of Liberty appeared on the National Mall, accompanied by the words “dictator approved,” which were written underneath it.
View of the Eight-foot-tall Dictator Approved sculpture at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on June 18.
CP Images
Last week, ahead of his state visit to the United Kingdom, where he met with King Charles and other senior members of the royal family as well as British Prime Minister Kier Starmer, a series of photographs showing Trump and Epstein together were projected onto the walls of Windsor Castle, the day before the president and the monarch were set to meet on site.
Political campaign group Led By Donkeys project an image of Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump onto Windsor Castle as US President Trump’s second state visit to the UK begins on 16th September 2025 in Windsor, United Kingdom.
Mark Kerrison / Getty Images
On Wednesday, in response to the new statue, the White House told Time Magazine that Trump’s association with Epstein is not newsworthy.
“Liberals are free to waste their money however they see fit—but it’s not news that Epstein knew Donald Trump, because Donald Trump kicked Epstein out of his club for being a creep,” the statement said.
“Democrats, the media, and the organization that’s wasting their money on this statue knew about Epstein and his victims for years and did nothing to help them while President Trump was calling for transparency, and is now delivering on it with thousands of pages of documents,” it concluded.
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