Statue mocking Trump’s bone spurs appears on Mall before Veterans Day

The anonymous artists who have taunted President Donald Trump and his administration with more than a dozen statues and installations around Washington struck again Monday, this time with a statue mocking Trump for avoiding military service because of bone spurs.

The new statue of Trump, spray-painted gold, appeared on the National Mall, near the National Gallery of Art’s Sculpture Garden. The statue, erected two days before Veterans Day, depicts the president sitting, grimacing, and clutching his right foot. Beneath Trump is a sign that reads The Foot Soldier.

“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,” reads a plaque at the base of the statue. “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.”

Trump received five deferments during the Vietnam War: four for his studies in college, and one for bone spurs in his feet.

“Trump Derangement Syndrome is a sick and incurable disease that has rotted the brains of these Democrat activists. President Trump will never waver in fighting for and protecting the American people,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said in a statement Monday.

Someone dressed in a big-toe costume stood beside the statue in the morning and said: “Draft dodger? I hardly know her.” The costume was complete with nine hairs and the name “TOEY” emblazoned across the chest.

“I’m the biggest toe. The hugest toe. Huge. Hugest toe. Largest toe that anyone’s ever seen,” Toey said. The person in the Toey costume declined to share their real name, citing concerns over retaliation and a desire to preserve the mystery of the art project.

The bone spurs statue is the latest erected by a group of anonymous artists who go by the name the Secret Handshake. Their real identities are unknown to the Washington Post. They use a go-between to obtain permits for the installations from the National Park Service.

“As the President continues to wage a war and threaten new ones, it’s time to harken back to a time when Donald Trump would do whatever it takes to stay out of combat,” the group said in a Monday statement.

Other installations by the group have included a statue of Trump and Jeffrey Epstein holding hands, a mock tribute to Trump from the world’s authoritarian leaders, and a reproduction of the desk of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) with a pile of fake excrement on it that ridiculed the Jan. 6, 2021, rioters who sought to overturn the 2020 election.

On the Mall on Monday morning, tourists and D.C. residents alike gawked at the latest installation. “I think it’s funny. Funny-sad,” said Stephanie Farrell, 58, who was visiting from New Jersey.

Martin Lowenfish, 58, said he loved how “subversive” the statue was. “When this administration came in, I was like, ‘This is going to be an awesome four years for punk rock,’” he said. “It’s just a way for people to express themselves.”

The statue’s plaque featured a 2013 quote from Trump: “I can be very military.”

The statue also caught the attention of Jonathan Myers, who was visiting from Florida. “Dodging the draft is a big thing,” said Myers, 41, who served in the U.S. Air Force from 2004 to 2010. “I think, as president, you should have served in the military.”

Dan Mariano, who works in marketing, said he makes an effort to see all of the Secret Handshake’s installations in the District.

“The sculpture is a great example of satire and an expression of free speech,” said Mariano, 33. “This is an affirmation of our ability to criticize our leaders.”

But Mariano’s dog, a Yorkie terrier named Bo, was more interested in Toey. “It looks like something she chews on in the apartment,” Mariano said.