Donald Trump has never had the easiest time explaining his way out of the Vietnam War draft story. The bone spurs diagnosis that earned him a deferment has followed him for decades, and now someone has decided to give it a golden makeover.
A giant statue of the president clutching his right foot has appeared on the National Mall in Washington, just ahead of Veterans Day. Titled “The Foot Soldier,” the installation comes from an anonymous group of artists known as The Secret Handshake, whose previous work has also taken aim at Trump’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
The statue shows Trump sitting on a pedestal, grimacing as he examines his foot. A plaque underneath offers a rather sarcastic tribute to his military record.
“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,” the inscription reads.
It continues: “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.”
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For good measure, the artists included a quote Trump himself shared in 2013: “I can be very military.”
Ahead of Veterans Day, the Secret Handshake installed The Foot Soldier, a gold statue mocking Trump’s bone spurs, on the National Mall. It stands across the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden. https://t.co/moMvDah6Mg
— Hoodlum 🇺🇸 (@NotHoodlum) November 9, 2026
Trump received five deferments during the Vietnam War, four for his education and another for a medical diagnosis of bone spurs. The medical exemption has remained a subject of debate, particularly after a 2018 New York Times investigation, examined how he received the diagnosis.
The artists also made sure the statue would have some company.
Standing beside it was a six-foot mascot dressed as a giant toe, complete with the name “Toey” across its costume.
The character had a few words for visitors. “Draft dodger? I hardly know her,” Toey told The Washington Post. The performer also borrowed Trump’s familiar style of boasting, declaring: “I’m the biggest toe. The hugest toe. Huge. Hugest toe. Largest toe that anyone’s ever seen.”
Trump has been honored with a new statue on the National Mall! The Foot Soldier depicts the draft dodger and his bone spurs. From the Secret Handshake. https://t.co/qwPtzDXg9M
— Joe Flood (@joeflood) November 9, 2026
The White House was not amused. Spokesperson Davis Ingle dismissed the installation in a statement to The Washington Post.
“Trump Derangement Syndrome is a sick and incurable disease that has rotted the brains of these Democrat activists. President Trump will never waver in fighting for and protecting the American people,” Ingle said.
The artists had their own response.
A spokesperson for The Secret Handshake told The Daily Beast: “We are honored that The White House has diagnosed us with Trump Derangement Syndrome, though we have checked and it seems like that does not qualify for us to skip out on the latest war he’s created.”
The group also took a swipe at Trump’s military decisions, adding: “If only his prescription for bone spurs had lasted long enough for him to consider them when invading Iran.”
The collective has installed several other works mocking Trump during his second administration, including statues referencing his former friendship with Epstein and a giant trophy sarcastically celebrating his participation in the Iran war.
Featured image via X screengrab
