Memecoin traders unveiled a towering golden statue of former President Donald Trump clutching a Bitcoin outside the US Capitol on Wednesday, staging the stunt as part of a Pump.fun livestream.
The 12-foot statue was set up on the National Mall near Union Square, along the path leading to Capitol Hill and roughly a mile from the White House.
According to a website promoting the event, the installation was meant as a tribute to Trump’s “unwavering commitment to advancing the future of finance through Bitcoin and decentralized technologies.”
The reveal came on the same day the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 25 basis points — its first reduction of the year — a move typically seen as bullish for risk assets like crypto by lowering borrowing costs.
Trump has leaned heavily into crypto during his presidential campaign, winning significant financial backing from the industry. His family’s deepening ties to digital assets while in office have drawn criticism over potential conflicts of interest, particularly as his administration scaled back oversight of the sector.
Organisers highlight Trump’s crypto push
Hichem Zaghdoudi, one of the organisers, told ABC 7News DC the statue was meant “to spark dialogue about the future of government-issued currency and stand as a symbol of the convergence between politics and financial innovation.”
“This is a statement — a way to show that without the president, we wouldn’t have seen this level of Bitcoin adoption, cryptocurrencies going mainstream, or major institutions stepping in to buy Bitcoin,” Zaghdoudi told DC News Now. “It represents the future, and this statue is our thank-you, our tribute to the president,” he added.
Still, some point out that Bitcoin’s bull run began as far back as late 2023 under the Biden administration, fueled largely by excitement around regulatory approval and the eventual rollout of spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds, which opened the door for broader institutional participation.
Foam statue linked to Pump.fun memecoin
The organizers — mostly anonymous — also launched a memecoin on Pump.fun, pairing the token’s promotion with multiple livestreams tied to the statue stunt.
In a livestream on Tuesday, one participant revealed the statue was made of “extremely hard foam,” making it lightweight and easier to transport.
Posts on the group’s X account documented the build, including footage of a machine carving Trump’s head and clips of several people hauling the statue into place.
During the livestream, one organiser said the statue stands 12 feet (3.6 meters) tall and expressed hope that Trump would “walk out there and see it,” seemingly unaware the president is currently on a visit to the UK.
National Mall a hotspot for statue protests
The golden Trump-Bitcoin monument marks at least the third statue referencing Trump to appear on the National Mall this year — but appears to be the first erected in support of him.
Back in June, an eight-foot (2.4-meter) installation titled “Dictator Approved” appeared on the same strip. It featured a massive golden hand giving a thumbs-up while crushing the Statue of Liberty’s crown, a pointed protest against Trump’s controversial military parade days earlier.
Later that same month, a gold television adorned with a bald eagle appeared, showing a video of Trump dancing with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein amid his administration’s controversial U-turn on releasing more of the so-called Epstein Files.
