The anonymous satirical art activist group Secret Handshake is at it again — this time erecting a giant golden statue of a seated President Trump rubbing a bare foot. Titled “The Foot Soldier,” the statue pokes fun at the president’s famous bone spurs — a diagnosis he received in 1968, which led to a medical exemption during the Vietnam War.
A plaque affixed to the granite pedestal reads, “We honor the service and sacrifice of our Commander in Chief, Donald J. Trump. He’s a soldier in spirit, who marched to the front lines of dodging the draft, armed with a perfect diagnosis of bone spurs. We salute a leader who knows you can’t spell sacrifice without ‘I,’ and a warrior who reminds us that sometimes when you’re called to stand up, it’s best to just sit down and rest your feet.”
For the first time, the statue is accompanied by an interactive element: an actor wearing a toe suit, complete with dark black toe hair and a big red welt. According to an email from Secret Handshake, the live addition is “a 6-foot draft-dodging bone spur mascot named ‘Toey’ — who will be on hand to celebrate Trump’s unique history with military service and pay tribute to the President’s feet.”
A giant satirical statue of President Trump called “The Foot Soldier,” created by Secret Handshake and accompanied by a mascot called “Toey,” is on display at the National Mall.
(Secret Handshake)
Toey is almost like a Minor League Baseball mascot, the group explained in a follow-up email, “Out there to pump up the crowd and celebrate a well-heeled excuse to dodge the draft.” Toey also makes a few remarks when people walk up to take a look, including, “This little piggy went to … well, not the military, that’s for sure.”
Secret Handshake has created more than a dozen statues mocking Trump on the National Mall over the past few years. Since February, when the United States and Israel invaded Iran, most of their installations have focused on that war. In July, Secret Handshake created a playable video game, “Operation Epic Furious: Strait to Hell,” which revolved around a variety of choices to make as the commander in chief, including whether to order a Diet Coke or bomb Iran. That same month it also built a 10-foot-tall Iran War participation trophy that later appeared in New York City and at the Minnesota State Capitol.
This latest piece of anti-Trump, anti-war protest art has cropped up in the wake of last week’s midterm elections, which saw a wave of dissatisfaction with the war sweep the Democrats to power by a wide margin.
A golden statue on the National Mall depicts President Trump rubbing his bare foot, mocking the bone-spurs diagnosis that exempted him from the Vietnam War
(Secret Handshake)
“Since the President is so focused on waging wars, we wanted to pay tribute to a time when he would do just about anything to avoid combat,” Secret Handshake wrote. “If only he could have gotten a doctor’s note on the way to invading Iran or wherever we threaten next.”
“The Foot Soldier” will remain on the National Mall through Veterans Day. As will Toey, who will appear on and off during daylight hours.
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