Damage to statue of Donald Trump of Jeffrey Epsten holding hands after being removed from the National Park Service ahead of the end of its permit. The statue was a tongue-in-cheek reference to Trump's once close friendship with the late sex offender.

The statue of President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein holding hands wasn't the first anti-Trump protest statue to go up on the National Mall. But those behind it said the National Park Service's move to take down the installation was "unbelievable" and "disappointing."

Earlier this week, an anonymous group called The Secret Handshake unveiled a 12-foot piece of Trump and Epstein holding hands in a prancing position, with a tongue-in-cheek reference to "Friendship Month." The art installation was intended to prompt conversation about the president's relationship with the late sex offender, the group said. Controversy around Epstein's criminal case files has divided Republicans and roiled the Trump administration for months.

Before dawn on Sept. 24, representatives with NPS removed the statue and damaged it in the process. The Department of the Interior said only the statue was not compliant with the permit. But the permit obtained by USA TODAY says the organizers would receive a 24-hour notice if their permit was going to be revoked. Organizers told USA TODAY that they never received advanced notice.

"I've never had this problem in all the years I've been doing this," said Carol Flaisher, a D.C. location manager who has worked on major films like "Wedding Crashers" and Disney's "National Treasure" movies. Flaisher said she was hired by The Secret Handshake to be the location manager for the installation. She called the day the statue came down "unbelievable."

"I've been doing this for 40 years," she said. "The word to use is, I'm very disappointed."

Trump and Epstein statue toppled by National Parks Service without warning, organizers say

A National Park Service permit obtained by USA TODAY shows the statue was supposed to be on display through 8 p.m. Sept. 28. But The Secret Handshake said NPS representatives appeared around 5:30 a.m. Sept. 24, toppled the statue and took it to a government warehouse. Footage shared by the group shows someone identifying himself with NPS telling people behind the camera the statue was not compliant because it is too big, before workers push the statue over.

Flaisher was also told the statue was bigger than what was outlined in the permit, but she said it was still smaller than the overall limit for the area.

The permit says it may be revoked "at any time after providing 24 hours' written notice to the Permittee setting forth the reasons for the revocation."

Flaisher said they did not receive any notice. Organizers at The Secret Handshake, who wish to remain anonymous, said it was an example of an attack on free speech.

The organization and Flaisher said they tried to get the permit reinstated, but they were not allowed to put it back up. The Department of the Interior did not respond to multiple requests for an explanation.

The Secret Handshake put up other statues without issue

The Secret Handshake told USA TODAY they are a small group of citizens using art and humor to prompt political discourse. The statue was located across the street from the U.S. Capitol building, facing the expanse of the National Mall lawns that leads to the Washington Monument. They said the statue took about a month to build.

The Secret Handshake has put up anti-Trump installations in the past. The group also erected the so-called "Dictator Approved" piece, an 8-foot-tall sculpture of a hand squashing the crown of the Statue of Liberty while making a thumbs-up gesture; and the "Gold TV statue" multimedia installation, in which a golden TV showed images of Trump dancing, including with Epstein.

But this one seemed to have a bigger impact, Flaisher said, pointing out it received a mention from "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on CBS. He put the statue in the same "victory for free speech" category as the return of Jimmy Kimmel to his late-night spot on ABC following a suspension over comments about how Trump and Republicans responded to the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Colbert went on to say, "thank you (NPS) for protecting free speech for almost 24 hours," in a joke about the statue's removal.

"This is our fourth statue over the last few months ... they may not have liked everything but we certainly didn't have anything revoked, we didn't have any warnings," Flaisher said. "For me and our group, it's heartbreaking. We worked so hard."

Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Never had this problem,' team behind Epstein, Trump statue reacts to its removal

Reporting by Kinsey Crowley and Kathryn Palmer, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect