A towering 12-foot golden statue of President Donald Trump clutching a Bitcoin was erected outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday morning.
The provocative installation, funded by a consortium of cryptocurrency enthusiasts, arrived just hours before the Federal Reserve’s anticipated interest rate announcement, aiming to spotlight the rising clout of digital assets in America’s economic landscape.
The statue, positioned prominently on 3rd Street, was on display from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., drawing curious onlookers and sparking immediate online chatter.
It serves as both a tribute to Trump’s vocal advocacy for cryptocurrency and a symbolic jab at traditional monetary policy. As Wall Street braced for the Fed’s decision, the artwork underscored the growing tension between legacy financial systems and the decentralized world of blockchain.
Hichem Zaghdoudi, a spokesperson for the anonymous investor collective behind the project, emphasized its intent to provoke deeper reflection.
“The installation is designed to ignite conversation about the future of government-issued currency and is a symbol of the intersection between modern politics and financial innovation,” Zaghdoudi said. “As the Federal Reserve shapes economic policy, we hope this statue prompts reflection on cryptocurrency’s growing influence.”
The timing couldn’t have been more pointed. At 2 p.m. ET, the Federal Reserve is widely expected to slash its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point to approximately 4.1%.
This would mark the central bank’s first rate reduction since December 2024, following a trio of cuts last year prompted by softening job growth and climbing unemployment figures.
Economists view the move as a cautious response to persistent inflationary pressures and a cooling labor market, with Bitcoin and other cryptos often reacting sharply to such shifts in liquidity.
Trump, who has positioned himself as a crypto champion during his political comeback, has repeatedly touted digital currencies as a hedge against fiat weaknesses.
The statue captures him in a triumphant pose, laser laser-etched Bitcoin gleaming in his hand, evoking his past rallies and promises to make America the “crypto capital of the planet.” Supporters hailed it as a cheeky nod to his influence, while critics dismissed it as stunt amid broader debates on regulation.
The event also rippled through financial markets, where Bitcoin hovered around $62,000 in midday trading, buoyed by rate-cut optimism. Analysts noted that lower borrowing costs could funnel more institutional money into riskier assets like crypto, potentially amplifying the sector’s volatility.
“Trump’s embrace of Bitcoin isn’t just rhetoric — it’s a signal to investors that Washington might finally catch up to Silicon Valley,” one trader quipped anonymously.
