A joint investigation of New York and federal authorities revealed the man behind the Donald Trump tombstone placed in Central Park in late March.
The tombstone was engraved with Trump’s name and birth year, with the year of death left blank.
Underneath was an epitaph that read: “Made America Hate Again,” a twist on Trump’s real slogan: “Make America Great Again.”
The 420-pound chunk of granite was almost immediately the subject of investigation of the New York Police Department in conjunction with FBI agents.
They found that the man behind the tombstone is one Brian Whiteley, 33, an artist who resides in Brooklyn.
The artist, who declined to confirm his name, told the New York Times that he was “trying to remind Donald what type of legacy he’s leaving behind.”
“And also leaving the date of the death open, alluding to the fact that there’s still time to change who he is,” he added.
Officials caught a break when they tracked the stone’s origin to monument dealer Frank Cassara, 70, who told them he and his son Michael had made the stone for a so-called “hipster.”
The stone was estimated by other experts to cost around $2,500.
Police were able to pinpoint the Supreme Memorials store thanks to an interview the artist—who was at that point anonymous—gave to Gothamist in which he claimed responsibility for commissioning and placing the headstone.
In that interview, the artist said it took five months to plan for and execute the “Legacy Stone.”
“I’ve seen a lot of different pieces in the art world come out about [Trump], but I thought they were surface level in a way,” the artist said. “I was trying to find a way where I could literally connect to Donald and say, ‘Wake up man,’” he said. “I was trying to get him to understand what he would be remembered for at this point.”
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