TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — A towering Baby Trump protest balloon was knifed and deflated by someone unhappy with its appearance during President Donald Trump’s Saturday trip to Alabama, organizers said.
The incident occurred during Trump’s visit to watch the University of Alabama football game. The balloon, which is over 20 feet (6.1 meters) tall, was set up in a nearby park.
Jim Girvan, the organizer of a group that “adopts” out Baby Trump balloons for protests, said a man charged the balloon with a knife and cut an 8-foot-long (2.4-meter-long) gash in the back. Girvan said the unidentified man was arrested. Tuscaloosa police did not immediately respond to a request for more details.
The orange, diaper-clad, cellphone-clutching caricature of the president is often taken to Trump appearances as a way to protest him.
Baby Trump first rose over London when local activists brainstormed a way to troll Trump. Now several groups raise money to bring balloon replicas around the U.S.
Federal appeals court blocks mailing of abortion pills in ruling with nationwide effect
57 pounds of marijuana worth $220,000 found in Maryland man and woman’s suitcase at Dulles Airport
Oregon Man Faces Lengthy Prison Sentence After Targeting Customs and Border Protection Helicopter
Trump aims to reset war powers clock with controversial bid to bypass Congress
DOJ Targets Blue State for Giving Illegals Financial Assistance While Neglecting U.S. Citizens
Black conservative unleashes on Obama for ‘constantly whining’ after SCOTUS voting rights decision
Pope Leo places former illegal immigrant in charge of red state diocese
Teen suspect in murder of two bank employees in Kentucky leads police on wild 130 mph chase
Sheriff Grady Judd names Jan. 6 participant, MAGA influencer among 266 arrested in prostitution sting
Progressive Dems Unveil ‘New Affordability Agenda,’ and It’s Just As Bad as You Might Think
Trump Declares Hostilities with Iran ‘Terminated’
Trump tells Congress on 60th day of Iran conflict: ‘Hostilities’ have ‘terminated’
Trump says UFC ‘Claw’ cage construction to begin next week at White House
Alito rips race-based claim in high-stakes migrant protections case at Supreme Court
DHS scorches Pritzker’s ‘sanctuary’ state after child rapist on ICE detainer released
Robert Kennedy, a volunteer “baby sitter” who brought the balloon to Tuscaloosa, said the balloon immediately began to sag after it was cut.
The day had been going mostly smoothly, Kennedy said. Some people yelled “Trump 2020” as they passed while others posed for selfies with the balloon. But then Kennedy said a man sidled up on the back of the balloon and attacked it with a knife. He ran away but was caught by police officers, Kennedy said.
Kennedy said he’s accompanied Baby Trump to many appearances and never witnessed an attack on the balloon, although someone did stab a Baby Trump balloon in London earlier this year.
“It is rare to get that kind of anger,” Kennedy said.
Story cited here.
