New Artwork on National Mall Lampoons Trump-Epstein Birthday Card
The sculpture's authors told Hyperallergic that they erected the piece after the government failed to release the complete Epstein files.
WASHINGTON, DC — A participatory public artwork drawing attention to President Donald Trump’s links to Jeffrey Epstein has surfaced on the National Mall. The 10-foot-tall installation, which depicts a birthday card bearing Trump’s signature and a message to the convicted sex offender, appeared on Sunday, January 18, across from the United States Capitol.
One side of the card reads “Happy Birthday To A ‘Terrific Guy!,’” while the other side recreates a sketch of a woman’s body that Trump allegedly gifted Epstein for a 50th birthday book compiled by his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. The president has denied writing the letter or creating the drawing released by House Democrats in September.
Alongside the card is a sculpture of stacked boxes and overflowing paper shreds with blacked-out words, alluding to the heavily redacted files released by the Department of Justice in December, and a selection of Sharpie markers for public use. A plaque invites visitors to “sign the birthday card with your own message to the administration” and “celebrate the birthday of President Donald Trump’s ‘closest friend,’ Jeffrey Epstein, with a larger than life tribute to their intimate correspondence.”
While the card was standing up on its shorter end when it was first erected, it was lying almost flat on the gravel on the National Mall today when Hyperallergic visited the piece on Tuesday afternoon. Around a dozen people were surrounding the artwork, many of whom were using the provided markers to cover the card in written notes admonishing Trump and his administration.
“RAPISTS LOVE RAPISTS,” one note read.
“Trump is a rapist king,” read another, with the word “king” crossed out.
Hyperallergic asked several visitors signing the card if they could share their thoughts on the piece, but they declined to speak to the press.
An anonymous group called Secret Handshake has claimed authorship for the work. The coalition consists of “a small group of people who want to find loud, satirical ways to express concerns about the current status of the world,” according to a representative who spoke to Hyperallergic on the condition of anonymity.
Secret Handshake also claimed authorship for last year’s “Best Friend” statue featuring Trump and Epstein holding hands, as well as the “Dictator Approved” statue of a gold thumb crushing the broken head of the Statue of Liberty.
The representative said that the group had the idea for the card installation several months ago, but was holding off to see if the administration would comply with the legal requirement to release the full trove of Epstein files. When they didn’t, the group sprang into action and unveiled the work on both the first anniversary of Trump’s second presidential term and Epstein’s birthday.
“The card is still relevant as a character study,” the spokesperson said, “but when it comes to the political issue of the Republicans releasing these files, it would not be as relevant if they were.”
When asked why this was the first work they created with an interactive element, the representative for Secret Handshake said that “it was the form and the medium that invited participation.” Much like the birthday cards passed around one’s workplace for everyone to sign, the installation encourages citizens to express themselves in writing.
While the group does not want to censor what people write on the card, “we don’t really want a bathroom stall either,” the representative said, noting that the group has already painted over “offensive” comments.
The plaque next to the card explicitly asks people not to write anything violent.
According to Secret Handshake’s representative, the protest artwork has a permit from the National Parks Service (NPS) to remain at 3rd Street W between Madison Dr. and Jefferson Dr. until Friday, January 23.
Hyperallergic reached out to NPS for comment.
When asked about the power of protest art to resist fascism, Secret Handshake's representative said: “I think DC is a special place. I’m not happy with the current state of this world, but I appreciate that even as bad as things are, we are allowed to do things with permission.”
Protest art, they concluded, “provides a release and a voice in dark times.”
“I think there’s value in bringing levity and satire to darkness,” they said.
