Secret Handshake Strikes Again

If you've never heard of The Secret Handshake (TSH), a small artists' collective that seems to be set on getting on Trump's nerves by reminding him of his Epstein affair, you are in for a treat.

On March 12, 2026 they installed a new Titanic-themed Trump-Epstein statue on the National Mall, accompanied by the banners that clearly satirize Trump's banner on the DOJ, USDA and other federal buildings. Except that this banner features one of the most famous photos of Trump and Epstein together with "Make America Safe Again" as the accompanying text and the DOJ modified seal with the word "Justice" redacted in it.

Here's how the entire installation, with the slew of banners, looks from the long shot showing its position in relation to the Washington Monument:

The 12-foot faux bronze statue is the main part of the installation. Here's the statue from the side view explaining why the Titanic imagery was used:

The King of the World plaque reads, “The tragic love story between Jack and Rose was built on luxurious travel, raucous parties, and secret nude sketches. This monument honors the bond between Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, a friendship seemingly built on luxurious travel, raucous parties, and secret nude sketches.”

It is a classical example of guerilla art (meaning it was not commissioned by the city where it's installed, with the most famous example being The Wall Street Bull in New York City), except that it is legal. TSH always obtains permits for its guerilla art installations, valid for only a couple of days but long enough to stir a lot of discussions in the media and online.

The Titanic Trump-Empstein was taken down already, but the images and jokes it left behind will certainly circulate online for a long time. TSH also plays admirable media game: they sent out press-releases with excellent digital pictures to the media and post everything on their own Instagram account with detailed explanations and updates, and the explicit permission to use and circulate the pictures as widely as possible.

This is not the first TSH art piece designed to attract attention to Trump-Epstein connections. Earlier last year they installed another statue at the same place: Best Friends Forever. That one stirred up a lot of discussion as well, and even though it was supposed to stand there longer, it was broken down by the US Park Police later the same day. TSH made a campaign out of that as well, well described in this article by an anthropology professor.

Another memorable TSH installation last year, the Birthday Card, was set up to remind people of the Trump-Putin warm friendship and invite them to write in their own best wishes on the card, with the provided sharpies.

But coming back to the most recent "Titanic" statue: I'm sure Trump has seen it. He thinks that any publicity is good, even the most negative publicity. I'm sure he hates this statue but at the same time the megalomaniac that he is, he finds things in it that would make him if not love then at least like it.

Let's play the guessing game. What do you think Trump would hate and like about this statue?

I'll start with what I think he would like about it (and I'm only half-joking about it):

• The statue is made in gold, his favorite color.
• He is presented as the dominant partner, the 'Alpha' in the relationship.
• He is taller than Epstein, even though in real life they were about the same height. Epstein looks smaller and more "feminine" compared to Trump.
• His has a full head of hair.

And the things he would hate about it:

• He is fat, with the muffin top spilling over the belt.
• On his left leg, there are contours of what could be a catheter collection bag.
• He is leaning into Epstein suggestively.
• He has a double or triple turkey chin.
• He has canckles.

Did I miss anything? What else would tickle Trump about this piece of art?