Anonymous Artist Collective “The Secret Handshake” Unveils a 12-Foot Gold Trump–Epstein Statue in a Titanic Pose with Satirical DOJ Banners on the National Mall
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sometime between Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, a roughly 12-foot gold-colored statue appeared on the National Mall, depicting figures representing former president Donald Trump and the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.
By sunrise, crowds had gathered, cameras were clicking, and speculation mounted over how such a conspicuous artwork appeared in one of the most closely monitored public spaces in the U.S.
Titled “King of the World,” the sculpture recreates the iconic Titanic pose in which Jack spreads his arms at the bow while Rose holds him. In this version, Trump stands at the front with arms extended, and Epstein stands behind, wrapping his arms around Trump’s waist.
A plaque mounted near the base delivers the installation’s satirical message, drawing a parallel between the fictional romance in Titanic and the social relationship between the two men.
The artwork has been claimed by The Secret Handshake, an anonymous artist collective known for staging provocative public installations.
Banners and Redacted Seals
A row of ten large banners forms part of the installation, each displaying a photograph of Trump and Epstein alongside the slogan “Make America Safe Again.”
The banners also carry the insignia of the U.S. Department of Justice, though the word “Justice” has been conspicuously redacted, reinforcing the satirical tone of the installation. The visual staging turns the open space of the Mall into a deliberate backdrop for the protest piece.
Although SW Newsmagazine was told by a National Park Service source that the statue would likely be taken down shortly, reporting by The Washington Post suggests the timeline may be less clear. The permit lists a start date but has its end date blacked out, leaving the sculpture’s duration uncertain—or raising the possibility that the redaction itself is part of the artists’ stunt.
A Series of Guerrilla Installations
The Secret Handshake has staged similar interventions in recent months.
Last September, the group installed a sculpture titled “Best Friends Forever,” depicting Trump and Epstein holding hands with one leg kicked playfully behind them.
In January, the collective placed a giant replica of a crude birthday message allegedly sent to Epstein in 2003 and signed “Donald.” Trump has denied writing the note, saying the signature is not his.
The White House quickly condemned the new display. Abigail Jackson, a deputy press secretary, suggested the artwork reflected political double standards, asking when artists would create sculptures targeting Democrats who maintained contact with Epstein after his conviction.
Trump has repeatedly insisted he has been “totally exonerated” by the release of records connected to the Epstein investigation. Trump and Epstein were acquainted in social circles in Florida in the 1990s and early 2000s. Epstein died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. Trump has said the pair had a falling-out in the mid-2000s and denied any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal behavior.
A Long Tradition of Protest Art
The sudden appearance of the statue places it squarely within a long American tradition of political protest art.
Protest art in the United States has historically used spectacle, symbolism, and surprise to challenge political narratives and provoke debate in public spaces. From pamphlets and engravings to murals and performance art, artists have repeatedly used visual culture to confront power.
One of the earliest examples dates back to the American Revolution, when Paul Revere circulated his famous engraving depicting the Boston Massacre, an image that helped galvanize anti-British sentiment in the colonies.
Throughout the twentieth century, protest art continued to evolve. Anti-war artists during the Vietnam era created confrontational posters and photomontages. Activists addressing the AIDS crisis used graphic imagery and bold slogans to push for recognition and funding.
In more recent years, murals commemorating George Floyd appeared across cities around the world. The artists behind “King of the World” appear to be drawing directly from that lineage, using spectacle in a nationally symbolic space to provoke a political conversation.
Anonymous Artists and Public Spectacle
Anonymous art collectives have long played a role in activist movements.
Groups such as the Guerrilla Girls, who have fought sexism in the art world since the 1980s while remaining masked and unidentified, demonstrated how anonymity can amplify a message by shifting attention away from individual creators and toward the work itself.
The Secret Handshake appears to be adopting a similar approach. The artwork arrived without warning, the creators remain unknown, and the message is unmistakably confrontational.
Whether the installation remains long enough to become a cultural flashpoint may ultimately matter less than the image itself, which has already begun circulating widely online.
By mid-morning Wednesday, photos of the statue were spreading rapidly across social media platforms, where the towering gold figures and the plaque’s language quickly sparked political arguments, memes, and speculation about the artists behind it.
For protest artists in the digital age, the physical installation is often only the first stage. The real audience is online.
If that was the goal, “King of the World” may already be succeeding.
Even if the sculpture is removed within hours, its most important function—grabbing national attention—has likely already been accomplished.
And for a statue that appeared overnight in one of the most surveilled public spaces in America, the most persistent question remains:
How did they pull it off?
Main photo: “King of the World,”—Copyrighted by SW Newsmagazine
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