Satirical Statue Mocking Trump’s Vietnam Draft Exemption Unveiled in DC

POLICY WIRE — Washington, D.C. — A provocative monument targeting President Donald Trump has appeared near the National Mall, mocking his 1968 medical exemption from the Vietnam War just two days before Veterans Day celebrations.

Titled The Foot Soldier, the gold-colored sculpture depicts the president sitting on a granite base while inspecting his right foot after removing his shoe. The imagery directly references the 1968 diagnosis provided by Dr. Larry Braunstein, a Queens podiatrist who was also a tenant of the Trump family.

The installation is located on Madison Drive NW, situated between 7th and 9th Streets directly across from the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden. Observers noted the placement as a nod to the president’s previous interests in altering public spaces within the capital.

A plaque on the base of the statue claims to honor the sacrifice of the Commander in Chief, describing him as a soldier in spirit who marched to the front lines of dodging the draft using a bone spur diagnosis.

The text further mockingly praises a leader who believes sacrifice cannot be spelled without the letter ‘I’ and a warrior who suggests it is better to sit down and rest one’s feet when called to serve.

An additional inscription on the monument cites a 2013 social media post by Trump, in which the president stated, “I can be very military.

Records show that Trump received five different deferrals during the late 1960s. Four of these were based on his enrollment at Fordham University and the University of Pennsylvania, while the final was granted for his medical condition.

The Secret Handshake, the guerrilla art collective responsible for the work, stated that as the president pursues current conflicts, it is appropriate to remember a time when he took every possible measure to avoid combat.

The Monday unveiling featured a toe-shaped mascot named “Toey,” who made satirical remarks to The Washington Post regarding draft dodging. The character claimed to be the biggest toe” and the “largest toe that anyone’s ever seen.

In response to the display, White House spokesman Davis Ingle issued a statement labeling the sentiment as Trump Derangement Syndrome,” calling it an illness affecting the minds of Democratic activists. He asserted that the president remains committed to protecting the American public.

Trump’s lack of military service has long been a point of political contention. In 2019, former personal attorney Michael Cohen told Congress that he found no records of treatment for bone spurs and claimed Trump once said he had no intention of going to Vietnam.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)