The key facts

  • The statue 'The Foot Soldier' depicts Trump alongside a mascot named Toey
  • The plaque ironically calls him a soldier who 'made it to the front lines of draft evasion'
  • The Secret Handshake group previously installed a golden statue of Trump with Jeffrey Epstein and a golden toilet

New installation on the National Mall

On the eve of Veterans Day, visitors to the National Mall in Washington began stopping to photograph a new satirical statue dedicated to President Donald Trump's absence of military service. Euronews reports on this.

What is depicted and what is mocked

The installation, titled 'The Foot Soldier,' is done in gold and depicts Trump alongside a mascot named Toey. The work was created by the protest art group Secret Handshake. Its aim is to mock the president's medical deferment from the draft during the Vietnam War, obtained after a diagnosis of 'bone spurs.'

A plaque with an ironic inscription

Beneath the statue is a plaque with a sarcastic tribute to Trump's military biography: it calls him a soldier who 'made it to the front lines of draft evasion.' It also quotes his own phrase: 'I can be very military.'

A continuation of a series of political works

'The Foot Soldier' is not the first political action by the Secret Handshake group. Earlier, its creators installed a golden statue of Trump holding hands with Jeffrey Epstein, as well as a golden toilet. According to Euronews, the new installation appeared precisely in the days leading up to Veterans Day — a holiday that gives the theme of military service particular sharpness.