Participation trophy statue appears in DC. Group wants your trophies for Trump
The group behind the statues of President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein is back with a new installation aimed at the war in Iran.
The Secret Handshake is an anonymous art protest group that creates public art along the National Mall for political commentary. A 10-foot-tall "Iran War Participation Trophy" appeared July 13 just south of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Bookstore. The golden trophy has a "#1" on the cup and "participant" on the base.
"We hereby award President Donald J. Trump this participation trophy for his enthusiastic involvement in the Iran War," a plaque under the trophy reads. "While some concern themselves with military strategy, diplomacy, or measurable outcomes, President Trump demonstrated the courage to participate regardless of the final score."
The Secret Handshake cited Trump's inaugural FIFA Peace Prize and gifted Nobel Peace Prize medal as comparables for the piece.
The latest statue comes as Iran and the U.S. are trading strikes again, effectively ending the interim peace agreement signed in June. Trump said in a July 13 Truth Social post the U.S. would reinstate the Naval blockade, preventing Iranian ships from using the Strait of Hormuz.
"These untalented ‘artists' should stick to their ugly ‘art' and refrain from weighing in on foreign policy – which they clearly know nothing about, given the fact that the United States Military achieved all of its objectives during Operation Epic Fury," White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said of the participation trophy.
The Secret Handshake said the statue would be up for the next several days and encouraged the public to donate their own personal trophies, medals and ribbons.
Secret Handshake also behind these statues
The Secret Handshake previously told USA TODAY it is a small group of citizens using art and humor to prompt political discourse.
Before the participation trophy statue, the group created an "Operation Epic Furious: Strait to Hell," three functional video game cabinets in D.C. that featured tongue-in-cheek battles against DEI and the pope to satirize the Trump administration's promotion of the war in Iran. In May, the cabinets appeared at the D.C. War Memorial and later at MTN SPACE in Lake Worth Beach, Florida, about five miles from Mar-a-Lago. The game is still available online.
Their other projects have included statues depicting Trump and Epstein in the "Titanic" pose and holding hands in a joke about friendship month; an 8-foot-tall sculpture of a hand squashing the crown of the Statue of Liberty while making a thumbs-up gesture, called the "Dictator Approved" piece; and the "Gold TV statue" showing images of Trump dancing, including with Epstein.
Contributing: Kristina Webb, Kathryn Palmer, Kate Perez, Carlie Procell, Joey Garrison, USA TODAY Network
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at KCrowley@usatodayco.com. Follow her onX (Twitter), Threads, Bluesky and TikTok.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Participation trophy statue appears in DC. Group wants your trophies for Trump
Reporting by Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY
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This story was originally published July 13, 2026 at 3:38 PM.