Statue of Trump, Epstein hand-in-hand reappears near US Capitol

A statue depicting Donald Trump holding hands with Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier and sex offender, has reappeared in Washington after authorities had removed it last week.

The bronze-painted work, originally titled "Best Friends Forever" but re-named "Why Can't We Be Friends?", was reinstalled Thursday on the National Mall, a short walk from the domed building that houses Congress.

A collective of anonymous and satirical installation artists, who dub themselves "The Secret Handshake," said they had reinstalled the statue at its original site on the mall after obtaining permission from the National Park Service (NPS).

"Just like a toppled Confederate general forced back onto a public square, the Donald Trump (and) Jeffrey Epstein statue has risen from the rubble to stand gloriously on the National Mall once again," a representative for the group told The Los Angeles Times. 

The statue, which stands taller than three meters (about 10 feet), was first installed on September 24, but it was taken down within 24 hours by NPS officials. 

The Department of the Interior, which oversees the park service, said the statue was removed "because it was not compliant with the permit issued," according to CNN.

A temporary permit for the statue's reinstallation was approved on September 30, the eve of the US federal government shutdown, CNN reported.

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The statue was damaged during its dismantling on September 25 but has since been restored. 

The so-called Epstein files, named after the New York financier and who died in prison in 2019 before his federal trial for sex crimes, have been the focal point of a controversy engulfing the second presidency of Trump, who was a longtime friend of Epstein. 

In July, the Trump administration announced that it had discovered no new evidence justifying the release of additional documents or the opening of a new investigation into the matter. 

Epstein died while awaiting trial for alleged sex trafficking of underage girls recruited to provide him with sexual massages.

Authorities ruled his death a suicide, but it has fueled countless conspiracy theories among Trump's voter base that he was murdered to prevent him from implicating high-profile figures.

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