A group of protesters are planning to fly the famous inflatable caricature of President Donald Trump, known as “Baby Trump,” in Washington, D.C. while the president is delivering his Independence Day speech on July 4, the Washington Post reported.
An activist group named “Code Pink” applied to the National Park Service on Monday for a protest permit in order to fly the balloon over an open area near the Lincoln Memorial, where Trump will be addressing the nation.
The group reportedly made the plan after Trump’s announcement of a grand military parade at the July 4 celebrations, which was later cancelled due to financial concerns. It already raised $10,000 in donations to import the “Baby Trump” to the capital.
The members of Code Pink stated that their intention with the planned action is to protest Trump’s “entire agenda,” including his stance in immigration and separation of immigrant families at the border, according to ABC News.
The balloon was previously used in demonstrations during Trump’s London visits. It was first flown over the U.K.’s Parliament Square in July 2018, as part of a protest attended by 100,000 people.
British protesters were granted permission from the Greater London Authority (GLA), Metropolitan Police and National Air Traffic Service (NATS) for staging their action, as the space above Parliament Square is restricted airspace. They flew the blimp for around two hours.
In June 2019, Sky News aired a commercial showing the balloon on the eve of Trump’s arrival to the U.K. for a state visit, while the BBC brought a replica of it into the studio of a news show.
The Stop Trump Coalition flew the 20-foot figure in Parliament Square on June 4, following a crowdfunding campaign that managed to raise £30,000 ($38,075) for the event.
The Museum of London announced later that it is interested in displaying the balloon that cost £5,000 ($6,300) in an exhibition.
In an interview with the newspaper The Sun in June 2019, Trump said that the blimp made him “feel unwelcome” in the U.K. It was also flown during the 2018 G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
While some Twitter users supported the idea of a “Baby Trump” protest on July 4, some others expressed concern that the president would “find a way to forbid the blimp,” citing security reasons.
Pls approve this!😂
‘Baby Trump’ blimp could ruin Trump’s plans to hijack DC’s Fourth of July celebration https://t.co/zTnBDT5vKd— Aquaryte💥 (@Aquaryte) June 12, 2019
https://twitter.com/jtpalermo/status/1138927443463548930
trump will find a way to forbit blimp for some made up security issue. If only we could have personal size buffoon balloons 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
— Susan 🍑🍑🆘🆘☕️☕️ (@susanishappy12) June 12, 2019