TOI correspondent from Washington: In a city where monuments are usually carved in stone or cast in bronze, a new installation boldly goes where no presidential tribute has gone before: in the toilet. Yes, a 10-foot golden toilet commode — titled with regal restraint “A Throne Fit for a King” — is on display on the National Mall courtesy of the guerrilla art group known only as Secret Handshake. According to its satirical creators, it is a tribute to Trump’s priorities. The statue satirizes the realtor-turned-president’s much-publicized renovations of the White House – specifically his decision to renovate the Lincoln Bathroom and build the ballroom while the country struggled with inflation and war.A plaque at the site helpfully explains the artistic vision, praising Trump as “a visionary who looked down, saw a problem and painted it gold.” If The Golden Throne sounds like a punchline, it’s just the latest in a full-blown comic universe of Trump satire. Earlier this month, Secret Handshake unveiled a giant statue depicting Trump and the late Jeffrey Epstein re-enacting the iconic ship bow scene from the movie Titanic.Dubbed “King of the World”, the piece featured Trump in the Leonardo DiCaprio role – arms outstretched, his trademark hair blown to the wind – while Epstein played his Kate Winslet counterpart. Before that came “Best Friends Forever,” a statue of Trump and Epstein skipping hand in hand like big kids on a playground.Taken together, these installations reveal something larger than any single sculpture: the meme-fiction of a president who has been the butt of jokes now turning into the butt of jokes. He is, depending on who you ask, either a misunderstood genius of branding or a walking meme template with a spray tan. His critics see him as the ultimate satirical inspiration – a man whose real-life pronouncements often sound like parody, requiring artists only to push reality a few inches further into absurdity.Indeed, the Internet has embraced this ethos with enthusiasm. Trump appears on the daily as everything from a Roman emperor to a fast-food mascot to a sensitive gold-plated bathroom fixture. The potty installation also includes rolls of toilet paper branded with the Secret Handshake name — because in modern political discourse, even punchlines come with merchandise.Reactions to the artwork have been predictably polarized. Both Trump’s critics and his supporters take selfies for different reasons. Critics hail these installations as sharp political commentary and triumphs of free expression. Meanwhile supporters say he triggers libido so intensely that they spend millions on golden toilets just to have him. Devoted to their bottom.line, some are even selling toiletry bootleg T-shirts with the slogan “Even His Crap Is Classy”.
