The National Park Service and the United States Park Police took down “Best Friends Forever” statue showing President Donald Trump interacting with his former friend Jeffrey Epstein from the National Mall on Wednesday, September 24 morning, reports said. A spokesperson for the Park Police said the department helped the National Park Service in removing it “due to it not being in compliance with the permit”.
“In honor of Friendship Month, we celebrate the long-lasting bond between President Donald J Trump and his ‘closest friend’, Jeffrey Epstein,” a plaque at the base stated.
The 12-foot-tall figures stood hand in hand outside the US Capitol. Images also showed a message allegedly penned by Trump to Epstein for his 50th birthday. It read, “Yes, there is. But I won’t tell you what it is. We have certain things in common, Jeffrey. Enigmas never age, have you noticed that?” A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy birthday and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
However, this statue, part of a series of similar installations created by anonymous artists, had been granted a permit by the National Park Service to remain on display until 8 PM on September 28.
While Trump ordered the removal of a long-standing peace demonstration near the White House, his administration, already criticised for its attacks on free speech, seemed to adopt a more hands-off approach toward this statue, similar to its stance on others that mockingly “saluted” January 6 rioters, one that suggested Trump was “Dictator Approved”, and another that featured a video of Trump dancing awkwardly.
‘Wasting their money’
The White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Washington Post that the organisation responsible for installing them was “wasting their money,” but did not indicate or suggest that the White House wanted them removed. “Democrats, the media and the organization that’s wasting their money on this statue knew about Epstein and his victims for years and did nothing to help them while President Trump was calling for transparency, and is now delivering on it with thousands of pages of documents,” The White House said.
