Kamal Ghorui
A sculpture depicting Donald Trump alongside disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein was installed in protest, on Tuesday, on the National Mall near the United States Capitol,.The large statue, circulated widely on social media, titled “King of the World,” recreates the iconic pose from the 1997 film Titanic in which the movie’s protagonists stand at the bow of the ship with their arms outstretched.A plaque attached to the base of the sculpture references the film while criticising the alleged links between the two men. “The tragic love story between Jack and Rose was built on luxurious travel, raucous parties and secret nude sketches,” it read. “This monument honors the bond between Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein.”Behind the statue, a row of banners displayed photos of Trump and Epstein along with the slogan “Make America Safe Again.”The installation is reportedly the latest protest artwork by Secret Handshake, an anonymous activist group, according to The New Republic, as reported by the Independent. In September, the group briefly erected another sculpture near the Capitol showing Trump and Epstein holding hands before authorities removed it.Secret Handshake has also staged other politically themed installations, including a statue mocking participants in the January 6 United States Capitol attack and a large reproduction of what it claimed was a birthday letter Trump allegedly sent to Epstein.Scrutiny of Trump’s alleged past association with Epstein has intensified since the United States Department of Justice began releasing documents under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed into law in November.Earlier this month, the Justice Department released additional documents that mention the 79-year-old president. Among them were three internal memos summarizing FBI interviews with a woman who alleged Trump sexually assaulted her. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the claim as “completely baseless” and “backed by zero credible evidence.”Trump himself has repeatedly said he distanced himself from Epstein years before the financier’s arrest and has denied any wrongdoing, calling the controversy a political “hoax” driven by Democrats.
