The National Park Service and United States Park Police removed a statue that depicted President Trump cavorting with his former friend Jeffrey Epstein from the National Mall on Wednesday morning. The statue, the latest in a series of such displays placed on the Mall by a group of anonymous artists, received a permit from the National Park Service that allowed it to stay up until 8 PM on September 28.
A spokesperson for the Park Police said the force assisted the National Park Service in removing the statue Wednesday at 5:30 AM, “due to it not being in compliance with the permit.”
While Trump ordered the removal of a long-standing peace demonstration near the White House lately, his administration, already under fire for its assaults on free speech, appeared to take something of a laissez-faire attitude to this statue, as it had with others that paid a facetious “salute” to January 6 rioters, another that implied Trump was “Dictator Approved,” and one that showed a video of Trump dancing awkwardly. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told the Washington Post the organization that has installed them was “wasting their money” but didn’t say or imply that the White House wanted it gone.
You can read the permit here:
Trump-epstein Statue Permit by Washingtonian Magazine
The National Park Service hasn’t yet replied to Washingtonian‘s request for comment, nor has the White House. This story will be updated.
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
