Gold Statue of Trump Holding His Foot Appears on the National Mall

A gold statue of Donald Trump sitting down and holding his right foot appeared on the National Mall in Washington on Monday, 9 November, according to ArtNews.

The work is called The Foot Soldier. It was made by the Secret Handshake, an anonymous artist collective, whose earlier works taunting the president date back to 2024.

The statue pokes fun at one of the five deferments, or official postponements of military service, that Donald Trump received during the Vietnam War. That deferment was based on a diagnosis of bone spurs, small bony growths that can cause foot pain. Four of his Vietnam deferments were for his college studies.

A plaque on the statue's base describes Trump as a soldier in spirit who marched to the front lines of dodging the draft, armed with bone spurs. The statue was accompanied by a masked person in a giant big-toe costume. The costume had nine hairs and the name TOEY written in block letters.

White House spokesman Davis Ingle issued a statement on Monday responding to the statue's installation. The statement was reported by ArtNews.

The Secret Handshake keeps its members hidden, so there is no public name for the people behind the piece. The collective's earlier works have also targeted the president, and this is its most recent one.

For the people who will walk past it, the basic facts are simple. A gold figure of a seated man stands on the Mall, its foot in its hands, with a plaque that spells out the joke. Public art on the Mall is seen by tourists, commuters and visitors from around the world, many of whom will read the plaque before they read anything else.

Anyone who wants to see the work in person should check local news for updates on where it stands and how long it will remain in place.