New ‘dictator approved' sculpture of smashed Statue of Liberty arrives in DC - but nobody knows who is behind it
A new 'dictator approved' sculpture cropped up on the National Mall in front of the Capitol building days after President Donald Trump 's military parade — but the creator remains a mystery.
The sculpture, titled 'Dictator Approved,' depicts a golden hand — giving a thumbs up — crushing the top of the Statute of Liberty. Her crown is cracked, and one of the seven spikes has fallen off, lying atop the pedestal. It appeared on the National Mall in Washington, DC on Tuesday.
Trump, who first announced his presidential run in 2015 by descending a golden escalator, has transformed the Oval Office, covering much of it in gold.
A pedestal is also adorned with gold plaques featuring quotes from several world leaders, often characterized as dictators, praising Trump. 'President Trump 'is a very bright and talented man,'' a quote attributed to Russian President Vladimir Putin reads.
On another side bears a quote from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán: "The most respected, the most feared person is Donald Trump."
The artwork appeared days after the president's military parade in the nation's capital, which coincided with this birthday celebration — and nationwide 'No Kings' protests.
The artwork has a permit to be on the National Mall though June 22, WTOP reported. The Independent has reached out to the National Park Service for more information.
The permit states: 'Military parade on 6/14 will feature imagery similar of autocratic, oppressive regimes, i.e. N. Korea, Russia, and China, marching through DC. This statue will call attention of that imagery by linking our American traditions of freedom of the actually praising these types of oppressive leaders have given Donald Trump.'
'It's just a sign of today's political climate,' Diane, a woman walking in the National Mall, told the outlet. 'It's crushing liberty, that's what it says to me.'
The permit says a security guard is required to guard the statue 24/7. The security guard told the Washingtonian that reactions to the artwork have been 'pretty mixed.'
The latest anti-Trump sculpture comes eight months after other political art pieces appeared on the National Mall. In October, a bronze sculpture resembling former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's desk, complete with an emoji-shaped poop, cropped up near the Capitol building.
'This memorial honors the brave men and women who broke into the United States Capitol on January 6th, 2021 to loot, urinate and defecate throughout those hallowed halls in order to overturn an election,' the plaque beneath the artwork read. 'President Trump celebrates these heroes of January 6th as 'unbelievable patriots' and 'warriors.' This monument stands as a testament to their daring sacrifice and lasting legacy.'
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I've never been 'proud' to be gay. Despite being openly gay, happily married, a parent, a public figure. The truth is, I'm proud of my accomplishments. The things I fought for. My career. My family. My grit. Not the things I am by default. Being gay isn't a merit badge — it's a fact of my existence. And that's why I've always had a complicated relationship with Pride Month. When I was a teenager in the '90s, being gay meant living with shame, not pride. It meant keeping your truth under wraps to avoid being bullied, rejected, or worse. Back then, gay rights weren't just limited, they were almost nonexistent. We couldn't marry. We couldn't adopt. Most of the country still associated us with AIDS. You were a punchline at best, a pervert at worst. Being gay wasn't cool — it was dangerous. So yes, I understand how Pride started. I understand why it mattered. The original Pride wasn't a party, it was a protest. 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And still, Pride Month has ballooned into a 30-day spectacle that now feels less about unity and more about domination — cultural, corporate, and political. Let's be honest. This isn't 1992 anymore. We're not fighting for survival. We're fighting for relevance — and it shows. Pride Month today has become a lightning rod, not because gay people are asking to be treated equally, but because the month has become synonymous with shock value, sexual exhibitionism, and corporate hypocrisy. We've all seen the footage. Leather daddies in assless chaps simulating sex acts in public. Drag queens twerking in thongs in front of children. Parades that look more like adult fetish conventions than civil rights celebrations. I'm all for sexual liberation, but not on a sidewalk in broad daylight with families in the crowd. Keep your kink — straight or gay — in private where it belongs. We're told Pride is about 'inclusion,' but increasingly it feels like a middle finger to anyone who doesn't co-sign every fringe performance or ideology. If you so much as raise an eyebrow at what's happening on your city's main street, you're labeled a bigot, even if you're gay yourself. You don't have to be a conservative Christian mom to think that maybe the Pride movement has lost the plot. What's worse, Pride has become corporatized to hell. Every June, major brands roll out rainbow flags like seasonal decor. You can't walk through a Target without being bombarded by LGBTQ-themed merch — not just for adults, but now for toddlers and babies, too. Meanwhile, some of these same companies have no problem doing business in countries where homosexuality is punishable by death. It's not activism. It's marketing – and it's insulting. We're told Pride is about 'inclusion,' but increasingly it feels like a middle finger to anyone who doesn't co-sign every fringe performance or ideology. Parades look more like adult fetish conventions than civil rights celebrations. Every June, major brands roll out rainbow flags like seasonal decor. You can't walk through a Target without being bombarded by LGBTQ-themed merch. Even the most well-intentioned people, those who once marched beside us for equal rights, are starting to feel alienated. I don't blame them. They didn't fight for this so that kids could be exposed to sexually explicit performances at public libraries or pride parades that make Mardi Gras look modest. They fought for fairness and dignity. We say Pride is about belonging, but today it often looks more like tribalism, where every dissenting voice, even from within the community, is vilified. And ironically, it's made Pride more divisive than ever. Instead of inviting people in, we're pushing them out. Instead of celebrating how far we've come, we're flaunting how little we care about what anyone thinks, even if it undermines our own cause. And all of this is happening at a time when we're supposed to be united. Let's put this into perspective. We honor our fallen soldiers for one day: Memorial Day. Meanwhile, Pride gets a month — filled with parades, corporate takeovers, and media coverage wall-to-wall. This year half the country raged that celebrating our army's 250 birthday and honoring wounded warriors and gold star families was authoritarian. But nobody batted an eye at rainbow flags flying from government buildings for all of June. This isn't equality. It's imbalance – and imbalance breeds resentment. Maybe it's time for a reset. What if Pride wasn't 30 days of identity politics, but one powerful day of shared humanity? A day of gratitude for how far we've come, and a reminder to lead with empathy, not ego. A celebration not of sexual orientation, but of freedom. A day where we invite everyone — gay, straight, confused, whatever — to come together not in protest, but in unity. Because here's what most people don't realize: We're not that different. We all love our families. We want health, peace, safety, and a shot at a decent life. That's not gay or straight. That's human. So let's stop building walls out of rainbows and start building bridges. Real pride doesn't need a stage, a sponsor, or a spotlight. It doesn't demand applause. It is lived — quietly, confidently, unapologetically. Every single day.
