A new statue in Washington D.C. is drawing attention for its satirical portrayal of President Trump and his recent military operation in Iran. The installation, created by the anonymous artist collective known as The Secret Handshake, features a statue of the president holding a participation trophy.
A plaque accompanying the artwork states, “As the recipient of this prestigious award, President Trump joins the ranks of children everywhere who received recognition for simply showing up.” The Secret Handshake described the statue as an attempt to "de-escalate the conflict through positive reinforcement."
Smaller trophies have since been placed at the base of the statue, encouraging visitors to leave further "participation trophies" for the president. The artist collective told TIME that the statue is intended to remain on the National Mall for "the next several days."
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly responded to the installation in an emailed statement, saying, "These untalented ‘artists’ should stick to their ugly ‘art’ and refrain from weighing in on foreign policy—which they clearly know nothing about, given the fact that the United States military achieved all of its objectives during Operation Epic Fury."
The statue appears to mock the justification and outcome of Operation Epic Fury, a military operation conducted by the Trump administration in Iran. The operation was characterized by the administration as a successful response to escalating tensions with Iran.