Astatuedepicting PresidentDonald Trumpand deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein embracing in a "Titanic" pose similar to Jack and Rose, two of the movie's characters, appeared on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., this week.
The 12-foot statue was unveiled by The Secret Handshake group, a small organization of citizens using art and humor to prompt political discourse, on Tuesday, March 10, with a backdrop of the U.S. Capitol. The partially gold spray-painted art installation shows Epstein standing at the bow of a ship with his arms stretched out, with the president behind him holding his wrists.
The statue depicts the men in the iconic scene from the film where lovers Jack and Rose embrace on the bow of the ship at sunset.
The artwork is titled "The King of the World," a reference to that scene in which Jack, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, shouts: "I'm king of the world."
A statue depicting President Donald Trump and deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein embracing in the iconic "Titanic" pose by Jack and Rose, two of the movie's characters, appeared on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The artwork is titled "The King of the World," a reference to the scene in which Jack, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, shouts: "I'm king of the world."The 12-foot statue was unveiled in front of the U.S. Capitol by The Secret Handshake group, a small organization of citizens using art and humor to prompt political discourse. The same group was also responsible for the statue of Trump and Epstein holding hands titled "Best Friends Forever" that appeared on the National Mall in September. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Trump–Epstein statue recreates iconic Titanic scene of Jack and Rose
Astatuedepicting President Donald Trump and deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein embracing in the iconic "Titanic" pose by Jack and Rose, two of the movie's characters, appeared on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The artwork is titled "The King of the World," a reference to the scene in which Jack, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, shouts: "I'm king of the world."The 12-foot statue was unveiled in front of the U.S. Capitol by The Secret Handshake group, a small organization of citizens using art and humor to prompt political discourse. The same group was also responsible for the statue of Trump and Epstein holding hands titled "Best Friends Forever" that appeared on the National Mall in September.
"The tragic love story between Jack and Rose was built on luxurious travel, raucous parties and secret nude sketches," a plaque on the side of the statue states. "This monument honors the bond between Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, a friendship seemingly built on luxurious travel, raucous parties, and secret nude sketches."
The statue is flanked by 10 giant banners with a photo of Trump and Epstein with the words, "Make America Safe Again." The banners also bear the insignia of the Justice Department, though the word "Justice" has been blanked out.
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A USA TODAY reporter observed tourists and residents observing the statue on Tuesday, March 10. Many people stopped through their runs or on their commutes home to capture the scene with their phones.See it in the video at the top of the story.
It's not clear how long the statue will remain there. The Secret Handshake told USA TODAY in an email it hopes the statue will remain in place for several more days, but did not provide more information.
White House criticizes statue
Trump has previously said that he did not know of Epstein's criminal behavior.
In a statement to USA TODAY, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson condemned the display, asking when "wealthy Democrat donors" will create sculptures of Democrats "who continued to solicit money and meetings from Epstein after he was convicted as a sex offender."
Previous Trump and Epstein statue
The organization is also responsible for a Trump-Epstein friendship statue that depicted the two billionaires holding hands and prancing, which appeared on the National Mall in September, also known as Friendship Month.
Permits for installations on the National Mall are approved by the National Park Service. USA TODAY has emailed the agency for additional information.
Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at mdelrey@usatoday.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Statue of Trump, Epstein as Jack, Rose from 'Titanic' appears in DC
