A pair of bronze statues depicting U.S. President Donald Trump and convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein has been removed from the National Mall in Washington, D.C, despite carrying permits for its installation.
they showed up unannounced in the middle of the night, broke it, and hauled it away.
The National Park Service (NPS) removed an art piece titled “Best Friends Forever” from the National Mall on Wednesday, despite the statue’s permits. The activist group “The Secret Handshake” has taken credit for the demonstration, per multiple sources. This is the group’s fifth sculpture protesting the current administration, but the first that has been destroyed.
Not following regulations
NPS destroyed and removed the statue that depicts Trump and Epstein frolicking hand-in-hand, with giddy grins on their faces, just after midnight on Wednesday morning. The Secret Handshake shared photos of the destroyed statues, including one that showed Donald Trump’s head had been slashed in two.
Before this, they’ve never been anything but friendly to work with.
The group claims the height dispute was a misunderstanding, and that the NPS had a valid reason for removing the statue; however, the National Park Service was under an obligation to give 24 hours’ notice before removal.
Patrick Flaisher, one of the individuals who files permits for The Secret Handshake, spoke with CNN on Wednesday, stating, “We submitted everything correctly, but there was a discrepancy about the height that ended up on the permit. Regardless, their permit clearly states that if they choose to revoke a permit, they are to provide 24 24-hour written notice. Instead, they showed up unannounced in the middle of the night, broke it, and hauled it away.”
Flaisher also made his approval of the NPS clear, claiming, “Before this, they’ve never been anything but friendly to work with.”
A history of successful statues
This is the fifth statue that The Secret Handshake has erected in Washington. In October 2024, they showcased “The Resolute Desk”. Just days later, they unveiled “The Donald J Trump Enduring Flame” at Freedom Plaza, featuring a large bronze tiki torch.
In June 2025, a statue of a golden thumbs-up crushing the head of the statue of Liberty titled “Dictator Approved” appeared in the National Mall. It stayed for a week before being replaced by a golden television sporting an eagle.
Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein
Trump and Epstein had a well-documented friendship in the 1990s and early 2000s, with Epstein claiming to be Trump’s “closest friend” and Trump consistently and publicly complimenting the financier.
Trump ran on a campaign promising to release the files once his return to office was confirmed, but now, more than 10% into his second term, the files still lie unreleased. Donald Trump had a scrape with legal trouble during his first term, facing impeachment and multiple active court cases in New York, but managed to slip through unscathed. His administration may view this situation differently.
The Prime Video logo appears on a smartphone screen, and the Amazon logo appears as the background on a laptop computer screen in this photo illustration in Athens, Greece, on September 22, 2025. (Photo by Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Amazon will have to cough up $2.5B in fines, paid to its subscribers, after settling a case with the Federal Trade Commission where the FTC alleged that Amazon had signed up users for their Prime service without the users knowledge.
Of that $2.5 billion, $1.5 billion will be dispersed among the estimated 35 million affected users across the USA.
FTC chairman Andrew Ferguson stated that « The evidence showed that Amazon used sophisticated subscription traps designed to manipulate consumers into enrolling in Prime, and then made it exceedingly hard for consumers to end their subscription. »
Amazon will not admit any wrongdoing as part of the settlement, but has agreed to create a « clear and conspicuous » button allowing users to decline the option to join Prime.
Historical Restitution
This settlement is the second-largest restitution that the FTC has received from an investigation, agency officials claim.
In Canada, the Competition Bureau said earlier this year that it has a probe of its own investigating a separate matter. Amazon Prime retails for $139 USD in the United States and $99 CAD in Canada for a yearly subscription.
It’s estimated that there are almost 200 million Amazon Prime users in North America, per AmazonScout.
« A Shady World »
The FTC’s investigation found documents from Amazon executives and employees expressing knowledge of the tactics with comments like: « subscription driving is a bit of a shady world », and likening the result of their tactics to « an unspoken cancer ».
Amazon used sophisticated subscription traps designed to manipulate consumers into enrolling in Prime, and then made it exceedingly hard for consumers to end their subscription
The FTC began probing Amazon’s tactics during Donald Trump’s first Presidency, eventually filing the probe during the Biden administration.
Once again, Amazon will not admit any wrongdoing as part of the settlement. A spokesperson said, “Amazon and our executives have always followed the law, and this settlement allows us to move forward and focus on innovating for customers,” on Thursday.
