Epstein and Trump Portrayed as Titanic Lovers in New Anonymous Artwork
The sculpture on the National Mall comes in the wake of the release of previously withheld documents detailing abuse allegations against Trump.
A new sculpture portraying President Donald Trump caressing smiling sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, echoing one of the most famous scenes in Titanic (1997), cropped up in front of the United States Capitol this morning, Tuesday, March 10.
The public artwork, titled “King of the World,” is the latest Trump-critical temporary installation by the anonymous artist or artists using the pseudonym The Secret Handshake. The sculpture imagines Trump holding Epstein's wingspan as a caricature of the disgraced financier stares gleefully ahead, imitating the iconic Titanic scene in which Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose (Kate Winslet) stand on the bow of the ill-fated ship while she proclaims, “I'm flying!”
The Secret Handshake draws a mocking comparison between the fictional love story and the relationship between the president and the sex offender in the wake of the Trump Justice Department’s botched release of the so-called Epstein files.
"The tragic love story between Jack and Rose was built on luxurious travel, raucous parties, and secret nude sketches,” reads a plaque accompanying the work. “This monument honors the bond between Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, a friendship seemingly built on luxurious travel, raucous parties, and secret nude sketches."
True to its cinematic influence, “King of the World” is complete with railing in the shape of a ship’s bow. Ten large banners featuring a photograph of Epstein and Trump are placed on either side of the statue, satirizing the president's recent interest in adding his face to the exteriors of government buildings.
The work comes after the Department of Justice uploaded previously unreleased FBI documents detailing abuse allegations against Trump to the Epstein library. According to the documents, a woman alleged that she had a sexual encounter with Trump, whom she met through Epstein, when she was between 13 and 15 years old.
“The President has been referring to himself as a king in Truth Social posts, and we wanted to honor that desire to be kinged by making him a version of one of the most iconic references in American Culture,” The Secret Handshake told Hyperallergic in an email.
The Secret Handshake has previously scrutinized Trump’s close ties with Epstein in other public artworks, including an enlarged version of a birthday card allegedly written by Trump within the outline of a female body. An earlier sculpture by The Secret Handshake portrayed Trump and Epstein holding hands on the National Mall.
In an email, The Secret Handshake said the sculpture would remain on view until Friday, March 14.
