Mystery artists spark uproar with bold video exhibit linking Trump to Epstein, reigniting old scandals and sparking First Amendment debate
WASHINGTON — A controversial art installation on the National Mall has set off a firestorm inside the White House — and it all centers on a looping video of Donald Trump dancing with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The footage plays on a gold-painted television sculpture placed near the U.S. Capitol. Behind its shimmer is a pointed political jab: the screen cycles a 15-second clip of Trump joyfully busting moves side-by-side with Epstein, the disgraced financier who died in jail while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges involving minors.
The video—uncannily timed ahead of July 4 celebrations—is authorized to remain through the weekend under a National Park Service permit. The anonymous creators, using the name “Mary Harris,” are presumed to be political activists posing as artists. Many believe the alias nods to famed labor agitator Mary Harris “Mother” Jones, a historical thorn in the side of powerful elites.
The White House, however, isn’t laughing.
“Wow, these liberal activists masquerading as ‘artists’ are dumber than I thought!” snapped Trump press aide Abigail Jackson in a biting statement to The Washington Post. “I tricked them into replacing their hideous statue with a beautiful tribute to the President’s iconic dance moves.”
Jackson went on to sarcastically suggest the administration appreciated the “joy and inspiration” the video might bring to tourists—before mocking the artists further: “Maybe they’ll use this footage for their next sculpture.”
But the real jab might be coming from the installation itself.
A plaque mounted beside the display quotes the White House’s own statement from a prior protest piece—“Americans are free to display so-called ‘art,’ no matter how ugly it is”—mocking the administration’s whiplash indignation now that Trump is again the target.
This is not the first time anonymous, anti-Trump public art has made waves in the capital. Just last week, an eight-foot statue called Dictator Approved appeared in the same spot, showing a giant Trumpian thumbs-up crushing Lady Liberty’s crown. That piece cited authoritarian leaders who once praised Trump, and prompted the same press office’s scathing “so-called art” line—now repurposed against them.
From tiki torches to Nancy Pelosi effigies, similar guerilla-style sculptures have popped up from Portland to Philadelphia since last fall, all unsigned, all highly political, and all believed to be connected.
This latest stunt, though, hits a deeper nerve.
Trump’s long history with Epstein is no secret. They were close during the 1990s, photographed often at Mar-a-Lago parties. “He’s a terrific guy,” Trump once said of Epstein in a 2002 New York Magazine profile. “It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”
Flight records introduced during Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial confirmed Trump flew on Epstein’s private jet at least seven times. Though Trump has distanced himself from Epstein since his 2019 arrest and denied any wrongdoing, the resurfacing of their relationship in art form has reignited public scrutiny.
Just earlier this month, Elon Musk stoked the fire on X, claiming: “Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files.” The Tesla CEO later deleted the post and issued an apology—but the damage was done.
“Art has always played a role in political memory,” said Dr. Lena Carr, a cultural historian at Georgetown University. “This piece doesn’t just challenge Trump’s image—it dares the public to remember what some in power would rather they forget.”
The installation is drawing crowds—and cameras. Tourists, many unaware of its permit status or creators, pause to snap photos or shake their heads. Some laugh. Others recoil.
“I didn’t expect to see that today,” said Marcus Green, a father visiting D.C. from Michigan with his two daughters. “But hey, if they’re allowed to put up statues of Confederate generals, I guess someone can put up this too.”
For now, the golden TV keeps spinning its loop. And the White House—despite its fury—is forced to watch.
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If the shoe fits…hit him with IT till he bleeds
How can giant ‘art’ objects appear on the Public Mall with no knowledge of who placed it? It might have a nuclear bomb in it!
it was permitted, so it had to be checked. permitted as in they got a permit b4 placing it there. it has a time limit.
Shameful!!Sent from my iPhone
Any one not happy here really needs to leave. But with all the reading I’m finding these paid professionals that are protesting are being backed by G S. Look on instagram. It’s a whole thing with Samidoun Donations for the blue party