National Park Service removes Trump-Epstein statue, raising free speech concerns

Seen here is American financier Jeffrey Epstein (left) and real estate developer Donald Trump together at the Mar-a-Lago estate, Palm Beach, Florida, 1997. (Davidoff Studios Photography/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

The National Park Service before dawn on Wednesday removed a statue titled “Best Friends Forever” of U.S. President Donald Trump and Jeffery Epstein holding hands – only a day after it was erected on the National Mall.

Patrick, an organizer from “The Secret Handshake” group that placed it, who would only provide his first name out of fear of reprisal, said the group’s security guards were present around 5:30 a.m. when the statue was dismantled.

The Department of the Interior, which oversees NPS, confirmed the statue has been removed, saying in a statement that the statue violated its permit.

On Tuesday, Patrick told CNN he expected it to be up for a week. The statue’s permit allowed it to be on the site until 8 p.m. Sunday. Patrick now believes the Park Service is using a dispute over the height of the statue to remove the provocative display.

“The statue doesn’t matter,” Patrick told CNN. “What it represents and it being broken down is what matters.”

The statue of Trump and Epstein appeared on Tuesday with the United States Capitol as its backdrop. The two figures each had a foot kicked back and a hand flailing into the air, and a plaque between the pair titled “In Honor of Friendship Month” reads: “We celebrate the long-lasting bond between President Donald J. Trump and his ‘closest friend,’ Jeffrey Epstein.”

“The statue was removed because it was not compliant with the permit issued,” Interior Department spokesperson Elizabeth Peace told CNN.

“The Secret Handshake” has previously installed other sculptures on the National Mall. In 2024, their “The Resolute Desk” and “The Donald J. Trump Enduring Flame” statues went viral, and in June, their “Dictator Approved” statue and another of a golden television appeared.

All these statues were permitted through the National Park Service without a problem, according to Patrick and Carol Flaisher, an independent contractor who files the group’s permits.

“Before this, they’ve never been anything but friendly to work with,” Patrick said Wednesday. He said the group “expected nothing but the same” this time. He said he didn’t think the NPS employees he’d previously worked with were directly responsible for taking down the statue.

The group says it has since been allowed to view the statue and provided CNN with photos that show it was dismantled and severely damaged, with Trump’s head split in half.

Patrick compared the statue’s dismantling to threats Trump has made against late night TV host Jimmy Kimmel and ABC.

“It’s a great example of where we’re headed in this country when it comes to freedom of speech,” Patrick said.

The group obtained a public gathering permit, which CNN has reviewed, that says the purpose of the display is “to demonstrate freedom of speech and artistic expression using political imagery.”

The permit also says it can be revoked “at any time after providing 24 hours’ written notice to the Permittee setting forth the reasons for the revocation.”

The Department of the Interior has not responded to questions from CNN about whether notice was provided and what about the statue wasn’t in compliance.

The permit is for a six-foot-tall statue and includes a picture of it, but the group suspects the Park Service is saying the display is out of compliance because the display is taller than six feet when combined with its base.

“We submitted everything correctly, but there was a discrepancy about the height that ended up on the permit,” Patrick said. “Regardless, their permit clearly states that if they choose to revoke a permit, they are to provide 24 hours written notice. Instead, they showed up unannounced in the middle of the night, broke it, and hauled it away.”

“No one has ever said a word about this,” said Flaisher, the independent contractor who says she has worked in permitting for 40 years.

Flaisher said in her time working with permitting for this group and other events, both on and off the National Mall, she has “never run into anything like this.” She called the height discrepancy probably a “typo” and “beyond nonsense.”

By the time of publication, Flaisher said she had yet to receive any official notice of the removal from the National Park Service or Department of the Interior.