Surf Wiki
Save to docs
general

From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Best Friends Forever (sculpture)

Best Friends Forever
Why Can't We Be Friends?
The statue of Donald Trump (left) and Jeffrey Epstein (right) in Washington, D.C., with the United States Capitol Building in the background
The Secret Handshake
2025 (2025)
Sculpture
.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt,.mw-parser-output .hlist li{margin:0;display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ul{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist .mw-empty-li{display:none}.mw-parser-output .hlist dt::after{content:": "}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li::after{content:"\a0 · ";font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li:last-child::after{content:none}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dd:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dt:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dd:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dt:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dd:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dt:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li li:first-child::before{content:" (";font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd li:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt li:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li li:last-child::after{content:")";font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol{counter-reset:listitem}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol>li{counter-increment:listitem}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol>li::before{content:" "counter(listitem)"\a0 "}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd ol>li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt ol>li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li ol>li:first-child::before{content:" ("counter(listitem)"\a0 "}
Donald Trump
Jeffrey Epstein
Washington, D.C.

Best Friends Forever (also known as Why Can't We Be Friends?) is a statue of US president Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, briefly installed at the National Mall in downtown Washington, D.C., on September 23, 2025. Created by an anonymous art group known by the alias "The Secret Handshake", the sculpture was created in protest of the relationship of Trump and Epstein and the closely associated sexual misconduct allegations against Trump. The sculpture had permits to stay on display until September 28, but was dismantled by the United States Park Police within 24 hours of installation. The statue was temporarily reinstalled on the National Mall from October 2 to 5, 2025, and reappeared outside a Northwest Washington, D.C., Busboys and Poets coffeehouse in November 2025.

Best Friends Forever is a 12-foot-tall (3.7 m) statue consisting of two sculptures on podiums, depicting incumbent United States president Donald Trump (north) holding hands and frolicking with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein (south). Three plaques were located at the foot of Trump, Epstein, and center of the base. The sculpture was created in protest of the relationship of Trump and Epstein and the closely associated sexual misconduct allegations against Trump; it was constructed from foam, resin, wood, and wire, and colored to appear bronze on a marble base.

The center plaque stated:

Through location manager Carol Flaisher, Best Friends Forever received permit to be displayed at the east end of the National Mall, across the street from the United States Capitol Building, for the duration of its installation on Tuesday, September 23, until 8:00 PM Sunday, September 28. This permit outlined that The Secret Handshake was to be notified with cause 24 hours prior to any premature removal, and the statue provided full-time security by United States Park Police (USPP).

On the morning of September 24, at around 5:30 AM, several USPP vehicles arrived on-site, some noted by onlookers to be unmarked. Officers proceeded to dismantle Best Friends Forever, damaging it. Park Police told CBS through WUSA that the sculpture was removed due to not being in compliance with its permit, but did not show said permit or initially explain how it was in violation. An unidentified USPP officer was recorded telling civilians during the dismantling that the issue was due to the installation being "too big", despite there being larger and taller statues on display at the National Mall.

Flaisher told USA Today that the removal of the statue was "unbelievable", stating that she "never had this problem" in her 40-year career as a location manager. Flaisher added that she and The Secret Handshake never received any advance notices, and were not informed of the apparent permit violation until they had already reacquired the sculpture's parts and attempted repair.

The 3D model of the sculpture

On September 26, 2025, The Secret Handshake released a 3D model of the sculpture on Printables under a CC0 license, waiving all copyright and making the work public domain. A week after its removal, it was reported on October 2 during the 2025 United States federal government shutdown that the statue had been reinstalled on the National Mall. The statue was removed on October 5 upon the expiration of its permit.

Commenting on the statue, Stephen Colbert on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert joked about its realism and categorized it as a "victory for free speech" on par with the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! being lifted. Following the sculpture's removal, Colbert went on to sarcastically thank the United States Park Police "for protecting free speech for almost 24 hours".

Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Best Friends Forever (sculpture) — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report