A massive gold-and-marble throne featuring a gilded toilet has been placed on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to criticise President Donald Trump for prioritising the renovation of a White House bathroom during last year’s government shutdown.
The sculpture, titled “A Throne Fit For a King,” appeared near the Lincoln Memorial two days after nationwide “No Kings” protests. It was created by The Secret Handshake, the anonymous artist group behind a previous statue showing Trump holding hands with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
A plaque on the art piece reads: “In a time of unprecedented division, escalating conflict, and economic turmoil, President Trump focused on what truly mattered: remodeling the Lincoln Bathroom in the White House.” This references Trump’s Truth Social posts from October, in which he boasted about the newly renovated bathroom attached to the Lincoln Bedroom while the government remained shut down for over a month.
In a statement to The Independent, The Secret Handshake said: “We were inspired by all the darkness in the world and news in this current moment to tackle something a little more light and silly yet something that still has relevance for its lunacy.” The 10-foot-tall sculpture is expected to remain on the National Mall for several days.
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle responded: “President Trump is making the White House and our entire Nation’s Capital more beautiful than ever before. The president will never stop working on behalf of the American people and fulfill the promises that he was overwhelmingly elected to do.”
