A gold-painted statue mocking Donald Trump’s Vietnam-era military deferment appeared on Washington’s National Mall ahead of Veterans Day. Titled “The Foot Soldier,” the installation was created by the protest art group Secret Handshake and drew visitors who stopped to photograph it.
Reports placed the statue’s appearance on November 9, two days before Veterans Day. It depicts Trump holding a foot and is accompanied by a mascot named Toey, a reference to the bone spurs cited in connection with his medical deferment during the Vietnam War. The Los Angeles Times reported on the installation’s arrival at the National Mall.
A plaque beneath the sculpture offers a sarcastic tribute to Trump’s military record, describing him as a soldier who reached the front lines of avoiding the draft. It also includes the quote, “I can be very military.”
The piece is the group’s latest political artwork. Previous installations included a golden statue of Trump holding hands with Jeffrey Epstein and a golden toilet, according to Euronews.
The statue turns a long-running point of criticism of Trump into a public satire, using the reported medical basis for his deferment as its central image. The installation was on view to National Mall visitors as the country observed Veterans Day on November 11.
Nicole French