WASHINGTON, DC — A 10-foot-tall, faux marble throne with a golden toilet in the center was unveiled on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial this morning, March 30. Titled “A Throne Fit For A King,” the protest piece features a towering throne back and armrest decorated with gold finials and ornamentation. Three semi-circular stairs lead up to the platform, and visitors are encouraged to sit on the golden commode.
“In a time of unprecedented division, escalating conflict, and economic turmoil, President Trump focused on what truly mattered: remodeling the Lincoln bathroom in the White House,” reads a bronze plaque affixed to the work.
The notorious bathroom remodeling last fall is just one of President Trump’s many gaudy and expensive redesigns, including the demolition of the East Wing to make room for a $300 million ballroom. Critics have decried the projects for their poor design and lack of transparency in funding.
The anonymous artist group Secret Handshake has once again claimed ownership of this latest satirical sculpture, which sits on the west side of the National Mall. Previous works claimed by the group include a giant Trump-Epstein birthday card in January and a golden statue depicting Epstein and Trump as Titanic lovers in March.
A representative for Secret Handshake told Hyperallergic that they have a permit for the work to stay up for several days.
“To us, it’s a tribute,” the group said via email. “Many people would say that things feel very dark in our country right now. So let’s focus on what this President did do that he does best — turn a regular bathroom into a bright, marble and gold Trumpified bathroom. Because that’s a real thing he accomplished and is very proud of.”
Left: A plaque pokes fun at President Trump’s “crowning achievement”; right: A visitor poses on the “Throne Fit for a King.”
A roll of toilet paper hangs from a gold holder on the interior of the left armrest. The Secret Handshake logo is printed on the toilet paper, and there are a number of extra rolls nearby.
When Hyperallergic visited the sculpture around noon today, passersby were lingering by the piece, taking photos and posing on the “throne.”
One of two security guards who were standing nearby said that they had been hired by the artists to oversee the artwork and that they would be there until 6 pm. The guard was encouraging people to sit on the new sculpture and take photos (just not to lift up the seat, which had come loose earlier in the day).
The work’s installation comes just two days after the third No Kings protest, which saw historic turnouts across the country, and amid escalating pushback to Trump’s own public art choices.
The toilet was unveiled a week after the Trump administration installed a Christopher Columbus statue, a replica of the original that was thrown into Baltimore’s harbor during 2020 protests, and eight architectural and arts groups sued Trump and the Kennedy Center board over the planned two-year closure for renovations.
