Why there’s a giant golden toilet near the Lincoln Memorial

A towering golden toilet statue has taken a seat near the Lincoln Memorial, the latest Trump‑themed art installation to appear on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

The nearly 10‑foot sculpture, unveiled March 30 by the anonymous group The Secret Handshake, was inspired byPresident Donald Trump's recent renovation of theWhite House's Lincoln Bathroom. The group says the installation uses humor and spectacle to prompt political discourse.

In an emailed statement to USA TODAY, The Secret Handshake said visitors are allowed to take photos by sitting on the golden throne. The installation is titled "A Throne Fit For a King."

The statue appeared almost a month after the same group installed a separate sculpture on the National Mall depictingTrump and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epsteinas characters from "Titanic." The group is also behind another Trump‑Epstein statue that appeared in Washington, DC, in September.

Meaning behind the statue

The Secret Handshake said it created the piece as a tribute to Trump during what it described as a time of "unprecedented division,escalating conflictand economic turmoil." In that context, the group said, the president focused on what "truly mattered": remodeling the Lincoln Bathroom.

The statue, the group added, is meant as a reminder that Trump "isn't just a businessman," but is "taking care of business."

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"It's a tribute to a visionary," the group said in its statement, "who looked down, saw a problem and painted it gold."

White House renovations

Trump revealed amarble‑and‑gold makeover of the Lincoln Bathroomin October, according to previous USA TODAY reporting. The cost of the renovation has yet been disclosed.

"I renovated the Lincoln Bathroom in the White House," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post at the time. He said the bathroom's previous 1940s art‑deco green tile was "totally inappropriate for the Lincoln Era."

The bathroom overhaul is one of several renovation projects Trump has pursued during his second term. Since his inauguration, the president has paved over the Rose Garden lawn,demolished the East Wingand moved forward with plans for a 90,000‑square‑foot ballroom —a project a federal judge ordered haltedTuesday, March 31.

The golden toilet statue, however, is expected to remain on the National Mall for several days, according to The Secret Handshake.

Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at mdelrey@usatoday.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Giant golden toilet statue appears near Lincoln Memorial

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Why there’s a giant golden toilet near the Lincoln Memorial

A towering golden toilet statue has taken a seat near the Lincoln Memorial, the latest Trump‑themed art installation to a...

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Thousands more US troops are heading to the Middle East

WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of additional U.S. troops are heading to the Middle East as the Trump administration has insisted thatprogress has been madein talks with Iran and hasthreatened to escalate the warif a deal is not reached soon.

The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush deployed Tuesday and is slated to go to the Middle East along with three destroyers, two U.S. officials said. The carrier strike group consists of more than 6,000 sailors.

It comes as thousands ofsoldiers from the 82nd Airborne Divisionalso have begun arriving in the Middle East, according to two other U.S. officials, who, like the others, spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans.

While the majority of those troops are part of a rotation of forces planned before the war, some are among roughly 1,500 paratroopers the Trump administration decided to surge into the region last week.

The Trump administration has not said what those troops will be doing, but the 82nd Airborne is trained to parachute into hostile or contested territory to secure key territory and airfields. A U.S. Navy ship carrying about2,500 Marines recently arrivedin the Middle East, and another 2,500 Marines also are being deployed from California.

The extra forces, on top of tens of thousands of service members already in the region, come as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other administration officials have avoided questions about whether or not the U.S. military will deploy ground troops against Iran.

"You can't fight and win a war if you tell your adversary what you are willing to do or what you are not willing to do to include boots on the ground," Hegseth told reporters Tuesday.

He added, "Our adversary right now thinks there are 15 different ways we could come at them with boots on the ground. And guess what? There are."

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But he also said the goal is to reach a deal with Iran through talks because "we don't want to have to do more militarily than we have to."

Additional resources are heading in as the war has strained the troops and assets already in the region.

The world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, had a fire in a laundry room on March 12, which forced it to return from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea to undergo repairs at a naval base in Crete.

According to a Navy press release, the fire damaged seven berthing compartments aboard the ship, likely forcing hundreds of sailors to find new sleeping arrangements, and damaged personal effects.

While Ford is now in Croatia for time off, Navy leaders said the aircraft carrier will likely set records for the length of its deployment. The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier alsoarrived in the regionin January.

"You're going to see a recordbreaking deployment by Ford," Adm. Daryl Caudle, the Navy's top officer, said during a Center for Strategic and International Studies discussion Tuesday.

Caudle said the aircraft carrier would probably go into the 11th month of deployed operations — a length of time that would put the ship returning to Norfolk, Virginia, around the end of May. The Ford wasin the Mediterraneanbefore beingsent to the Caribbeanto take part in the military operation in January thatousted Venezuela's leader, Nicolás Maduro, and then was deployed to support the Iran war.

"For those that are not in the Navy, that's an extraordinary thing to even think about something of that kind of deployment length," Caudle said.

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Thousands more US troops are heading to the Middle East

WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of additional U.S. troops are heading to the Middle East as the Trump administration has insi...

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Hegseth says 'no punishment' for Army pilots who flew near Kid Rock's house

By Phil Stewart

March 31 (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that Army pilots would not be punished after flying attack helicopters near singer Kid Rock's house over ‌the weekend in an apparent show of support for the vocal backer of President ‌Donald Trump.

Hegseth's announcement, in a social media post, followed remarks by Trump who appeared to play down the incident near the ​musician's house in Nashville, Tennessee.

"They probably shouldn't have been doing it. But they like Kid Rock. I like Kid Rock," Trump said. "Maybe they were trying to defend him."

Reuters, citing a U.S. official, reported earlier on Tuesday that aircrew involved in the incident had been suspended after appearing to deviate from their mission.

The U.S. ‌military is supposed to be apolitical, ⁠loyal to the U.S. Constitution and independent of any party or political movement.

Rock posted a video on X on Saturday, standing in front of his swimming ⁠pool and saluting one of the helicopters.

Hegseth, who has a home in Tennessee, praised Kid Rock as he exonerated the crew.

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"Thank you @KidRock. @USArmy pilots suspension LIFTED. No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, patriots," Hegseth wrote on X.

Military ​helicopters were ​also seen flying close to demonstrators in Nashville taking ​part in organized protests against Trump's policies ‌that were part of the anti-Trump "No Kings" rallies that took place across the country.

Reuters reported on Monday that the Army was investigating the incident and an Army spokesman declined further comment when contacted by Reuters on Tuesday.

"Army aviators must adhere to strict safety standards, professionalism, and established flight regulations. An administrative review is underway to assess the mission and verify compliance with regulations and airspace requirements," U.S. Army ‌spokesperson Major Montrell Russell said on Monday.

"Appropriate action will ​be taken if any violations are found. Until the review ​is complete, there will be no further ​comment," Russell added.

Since being sworn in last year, Hegseth has moved quickly to ‌reshape the military, firing top generals and admirals ​as he seeks to ​implement Trump's national security agenda and root out diversity initiatives he calls discriminatory.

Democratic lawmakers have warned the Trump administration is increasingly trying to use the military for political gain.

In his post ​about the helicopters, Rock took a ‌swipe at Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom, adding: "God Bless America and all those who ​have made the ultimate sacrifice to defend her."

(Reporting by Phil Stewart; Additional reporting by ​Jasper Ward; Editing by Nia Williams and Cynthia Osterman)

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Hegseth says 'no punishment' for Army pilots who flew near Kid Rock's house

By Phil Stewart March 31 (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that Army pilots would not...

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Joy and heartbreak as final World Cup spots are decided, in photos

The final places at the World Cup were decided in dramatic fashion as qualifying campaigns came to an end across Europe and in Mexico. Players and fans reacted with joy and disappointment after decisive matches, including a surprise penalty shootout defeat for Italy.

APTOPIX Bosnia Italy WCup Soccer

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This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

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Joy and heartbreak as final World Cup spots are decided, in photos

The final places at the World Cup were decided in dramatic fashion as qualifying campaigns came to an end across Europ...

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Arsenal to defend a 3-1 lead against Chelsea in second leg of Women’s Champions League quarterfinal

LONDON (AP) — Defending champion Arsenal hasa two-goal advantageto defend when it visits Chelsea on Wednesday in the second leg of their Women's Champions League quarterfinal.

Arsenal underlined its credentials for back-to-back titles by beating English rival Chelsea 3-1 in the first leg last week on Tuesday.

That London derby marked the first time in Women's Champions League history that teams from the same city faced off.

Last year, Chelsea did manage to overcome a two-goal deficit in the second leg of its quarterfinal against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge to advance to the semifinals.

"It's only halftime, so there's a lot of work still to do for us, and that's how we're going to approach the game," Arsenal coach Renée Slegers said.

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The winner will meet Wolfsburg or Lyon in the semifinals.

Making its debut in the quarterfinals, Manchester United travels to Germany afterlosing to Bayern Munich 3-2in the opening leg at Old Trafford.

Bayern is trying to reach its first semifinal since 2021. No English team has beaten Bayern away in the competition.

The winner of that quarterfinal will face Barcelona or Real Madrid.

AP soccer:https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

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Arsenal to defend a 3-1 lead against Chelsea in second leg of Women’s Champions League quarterfinal

LONDON (AP) — Defending champion Arsenal hasa two-goal advantageto defend when it visits Chelsea on Wednesday in the seco...

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