A new satirical sculpture dedicated to the president of the United States, Donald Trump, has been installed on the National Mall in Washington a few days before the commemoration of Veterans Day, alluding to the medical diagnosis that allowed him to avoid being drafted to fight in the Vietnam War.
The piece, called 'Foot Soldier', has been placed near the Sculpture Garden of the National Gallery of Art and depicts Trump on a granite pedestal as he rubs one foot, referring to the fact that he evaded military service thanks to a diagnosis of bone spurs, after having postponed his enlistment on four occasions due to his university studies, as reported by the newspaper 'The New York Times' in 2018.
The work also includes a plaque located at the base. "We honor the service and sacrifice of our commander in chief, Donald J. Trump. He is a soldier of spirit, who marched to the front line... to evade military service, armed with a perfect diagnosis of bone spurs," it says.
"We salute a leader who knows you can’t spell the word 'sacrifice' without I (I, in English), and a warrior who reminds us that sometimes, when they call on you to stand up, the best thing is to simply sit down and rest your feet," the text adds. A foot actor dressed as a toe also takes part by the statue.
The art collective The Secret Handsake --specialized in guerrilla art interventions-- has claimed authorship of this action, after having placed in October 2025, in front of the Capitol, a bronze statue in which Trump is shown shaking hands with the deceased convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
That work, dubbed 'Best Friends Forever', shows both tycoons with their legs raised and their hands held high, and also incorporates a plaque with the following text: "In honor of Friendship Month, we celebrate the long bond between President Donald J. Trump and his best friend Jeffrey Epstein."
Similarly, in July The Secret Handsake released a video game inspired by Trump’s decision to order in February a military offensive alongside Israel against Iran, and also raised a trophy for 'participating in the war in Iran' that was initially displayed on the National Mall in Washington and later moved to New York and Mineápolis.