A massive gold-and-marble throne outfitted with a gilded toilet has been placed on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to criticize President Donald Trump for prioritizing remodeling a White House bathroom amid the government shutdown last year.
Two days after nationwide “No Kings” protests, the toilet sculpture titled “A Throne Fit For a King” appeared near the Lincoln Memorial. The Secret Handshake, the group behind the art installation of a statue showing Trump holding hands with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, created the new piece.
“In a time of unprecedented division, escalating conflict, and economic turmoil, President Trump focused on what truly mattered: remodeling the Lincoln Bathroom in the White House,” a plaque on the side of the art piece says.
It is a reference to Trump’s Truth Social posts from October, in which he boasted about the glitzy, newly renovated bathroom attached to the Lincoln Bedroom, as the government remained shut down for more than a month.
In a statement to The Independent, The Secret Handshake said: “We were inspired by all the darkness in the world and news in this current moment to tackle something a little more light and silly yet something that still has relevance for its lunacy. We wanted to create something that still has a message, but is light and fun and interactive, allowing people to take a little bit of a breather.”
Art group ‘The Secret Handshake’ installed the new sculpture, featuring a gilded toilet, on the National Mall to criticize President Donald Trump’s priorities (The Secret Handshake)
The new 10-foot-tall sculpture will remain on the National Mall for several days, The Secret Handshake told ARTnews in an email.
The gilded toilet can also be sat upon, they added.
“This, his crowning achievement, is a bold reminder that the President isn’t just a businessman, he’s taking care of business. It stands as a tribute to an unwavering visionary who looked down, saw a problem, and painted it gold,” the plaque on the art installation adds.
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said in a statement: “President Trump is making the White House and our entire Nation’s Capital more beautiful than ever before. The president will never stop working on behalf of the American people and fulfill the promises that he was overwhelmingly elected to do.”
The Secret Handshake, a group of anonymous artists, is also responsible for the sculpture, titled “Best Friends Forever,” that featured Trump and Epstein holding hands – serving as a commentary on the president’s relationship with Epstein.
The Secret Handshake added its logo to the toilet paper featured in the new installation piece (AP)
Trump and Epstein were friends in the 1990s but the president has maintained he had a falling out with Epstein in the early 2000s because the disgraced financier “stole” young women from the Mar-a-Lago spa.
The president has vehemently denied any wrongdoing associated with Epstein’s crimes.
“Best Friends Forever” was also installed on the National Mall, near the U.S. Capitol, and drew public attention before being taken down less than a day later by the National Park Service for not complying with a permit.
The Secret Handshake reinstalled “Best Friends Forever” shortly after.
New statue, called ‘A Throne Fit For a King’ criticizes the president for boasting about renovations to the Lincoln Bedroom bathroom amid government shutdown last year (AP)
In January, The Secret Handshake installed a large version of Trump’s alleged birthday message to Epstein on the National Mall.
Trump has denied sending the birthday card to Epstein.
The group also created another large sculpture, titled “King of the World,” that featured Epstein and Trump recreating a famous pose from Titanic. The sculpture was put on display on the National Mall earlier this month.
