Just in time for Veterans Day, a striking and provocative new art installation has appeared on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., taking direct aim at one of President Donald Trump’s historical Vietnam War draft deferments.
Titled The Foot Soldier, the temporary public artwork depicts a seated and gilded figure of Trump with one shoe completely removed as he gazes intently down at his bare foot. According to The Secret Handshake, the anonymous art collective responsible for the striking installation, the piece was conceived as a satirical exploration of what a Lincoln Memorial-style monument dedicated to Trump might look like. In an email describing their creative vision, members of the group explained that they intentionally wanted the sculpture to project a regal, military feel. However, unlike Abraham Lincoln, who is famously depicted gazing pensively and selflessly into the distance, this iteration of Trump is portrayed as being entirely absorbed in his own personal concerns.
Constructed from a mix of foam, plastic, wood, and rebar to ensure it could be temporarily erected in a prominent public space, the statue is positioned on Madison Drive NW between 7th and 9th streets, directly opposite the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden. The installation is slated to remain on public display through Veterans Day, giving visitors and passersby a chance to observe the satirical piece during a national holiday dedicated to honoring those who have served in the United States Armed Forces.
The Secret Handshake is no stranger to generating political commentary through public art on the National Mall. The collective has previously made headlines with a series of installations criticizing various aspects of Trump’s public life and presidency. Past projects by the group have targeted his relationships, such as his past association with Jeffrey Epstein, his handling of foreign policy decisions including the conflict involving Iran, and his distinct taste in interior design. While each previous project has zeroed in on different facets of ethical and political shortcomings, this latest installation pivots squarely toward the topic of military service and presidential accountability.
The core of the installation’s satirical message centers around the medical exemptions that allowed Trump to avoid military service during the height of the Vietnam War. Trump received multiple draft deferments throughout the conflict. Notably, in 1968, at the age of 22, he received a medical deferment for bone spurs in his heels after graduating from college. Years later, during his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump remarked publicly that he had received "a very strong letter on the heels" regarding the condition. The backstory of the diagnosis gained renewed public attention in 2018, when the daughters of a podiatrist who had rented office space in a Queens building owned by Trump’s father claimed that their father had provided the future president with the diagnosis as a professional courtesy and favor to the elder Trump.
The Foot Soldier leans heavily into the controversy surrounding that medical history. Affixed to the base of the statue is a prominent plaque that reads: "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. 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."
Further tying the artwork to Trump’s personal history with military institutions, the installation incorporates a specific quote from the president: "I can be very military." This phrase is pulled directly from a 2013 Facebook post shared by Trump, which featured a throwback photo of himself flanked by his mother and father during his student days at the New York Military Academy in Cornwall, New York. In that archival photograph, a young Trump is proudly wearing his military school dress uniform.
As the statue remains on view through the conclusion of Veterans Day, it continues to draw crowds of onlookers, sparking conversations among tourists, locals, and political observers navigating the National Mall during one of the nation’s most reflective holidays.
