Immy Dorse 
Well, it’s not every day you see a 12-foot golden statue of a former president holding a Bitcoin. But that’s exactly what showed up on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. this Wednesday. A group of cryptocurrency supporters, tied to the memecoin platform Pump.fun, placed the gleaming figure of Donald Trump right across from Union Square. It’s a pretty conspicuous spot—within view of the Capitol and not too far from the White House.
An Ode to a “Crypto President”
The organizers called it a tribute. A thank you, really, for what they see as Trump’s strong support for Bitcoin and decentralized money. One of the few named organizers, Hichem Zaghdoudi, told local news that the statue was meant to spark talk about government-issued currency. He argued that Trump’s stance helped push big institutions to adopt crypto. “This is our statement to the president,” he said. It’s a interesting point, though perhaps a bit simplified. The relationship is… complicated, let’s say. Trump and his family have certainly become more financially involved in crypto recently, which has raised some eyebrows among ethics watchers.
Good Timing, or Just Coincidence?
The statue’s reveal happened to line up with the Federal Reserve’s decision to cut interest rates for the first time this year. Usually, that’s seen as a positive for riskier assets like cryptocurrency because borrowing gets cheaper. But it’s worth noting—the current crypto bull market really started gaining steam back in late 2023. That was well before the statue, and during the Biden administration. A lot of that surge was driven by the hype and eventual approval of spot Bitcoin ETFs, which made it easier for big money to flow in. So, giving one person all the credit might be stretching it.
Not Exactly Solid Gold
Turns out, the larger-than-life statue isn’t actually solid metal. One of the anonymous organizers mentioned in a Pump.fun livestream that it’s made from “extremely hard foam.” That made it light enough to carry and install without much trouble. Social media posts from the group show the head being carved by a machine and a team of people hauling the finished piece into place. They even created a memecoin to go along with the stunt, using livestreams to try and pump its value.
The National Mall’s History of Protest Art
This isn’t the first unexpected statue to pop up on the Mall this year referencing Trump. Back in June, an eight-foot installation called “Dictator Approved” appeared. It showed a giant hand giving a thumbs-up while crushing the Statue of Liberty’s crown—a clear protest against a military parade Trump had held. Later, a gold television was placed there playing a video of Trump dancing with Jeffrey Epstein. So this new golden figure is at least the third, but it’s seemingly the first one meant to show support. Whether it stays or gets removed, it’s already done its job: getting people to look, and maybe talk.