Donald Trump baby balloon

Donald Trump baby balloon
The helium balloon floating outdoors, held by restraining cords, surrounded by protesters, with the Houses of Parliament in the background
The balloon being flown in Parliament Square in London on 13 July 2018
Artist Matt Bonner
Completion date July 2018 (2018-07)
Medium Plastic inflatable
Subject Donald Trump
Dimensions 6 m (20 ft)

During an official visit to the United Kingdom by President of the United States Donald Trump, an inflatable caricature of Trump was flown in protest of him, his visit, his racial views, his history of sexual misconduct, and his policies.[1] The balloon depicts Trump as an angry orange baby holding a smartphone.

The balloon was flown over Parliament Square, London, on 13 July 2018, where the police estimate that over 100,000 protestors were in attendance,[2] and 50,000 more in the Meadows, Edinburgh, the following day, where protests were also held.[3] Although Trump was not visiting Edinburgh, he was spending the weekend at his Turnberry golf course,[4] but permission to fly the balloon there was refused by Police Scotland.[5]

Concept

One of the organisers, Max Wakefield described the balloon protest as being in response to "the rise of far-right politics that dehumanises people in order to get into power", and saw it as an attempt to introduce some "good British humour" into the political discourse surrounding Trump's visit.[6] Wakefield cited the Trump administration's family separation policy and Trump's withdrawal of the United States from the Paris climate agreement as examples of the kind of policies which the protest was targeting.[6] Leo Murray, who led the campaign, wrote in its crowdfunding statement:[7][8]

[When] Trump visits the UK on Friday the 13th of July this year, we want to make sure he knows that all of Britain is looking down on him and laughing at him. That's why a group of us have chipped in and raised enough money to have a 6 meter high blimp made by a professional inflatables company, to be flown in the skies over Parliament Square during Trump's visit.

The 6-metre (20 ft) tall, helium-filled plastic inflatable, also referred to as a "balloon" or "blimp", was designed by Matt Bonner and constructed by Imagine Inflatables of Leicester.[9] It was made after a crowdfunding campaign on crowdfunder.co.uk[10] raised the GB£16,000 cost of its creation and deployment.[5] It depicts Trump as "an angry orange baby"[1] with a snarling mouth,[11] tiny hands,[12] wearing a nappy,[5] and holding a smartphone.[13]

Organiser Max Wakefield said "The only way that you can make any impact with Donald Trump is to mock him, because you can't engage him in any kind of argument — it never gets anywhere."[6]

History

Permission from the Greater London Authority (GLA), Metropolitan Police and National Air Traffic Service (NATS) was required for the balloon to be flown over Parliament Square, the space above which is considered restricted airspace.[13] Permission was granted, allowing it to be flown, while tethered, up to 30 metres (100 ft) high, for up to two hours.[9][13][6] Both the GLA's 'City Operations' team and NATS stressed that the nature of the protest did not play a part on their decisions.[14]

After learning of the balloon, Trump remarked, "I guess when they put out blimps to make me feel unwelcome, no reason for me to go to London."[15]

After its appearance in London, the balloon was taken to Edinburgh, where it was flown over the Meadows, a public park near to the city centre, as part of the protests against Trump's two-day-visit to Scotland,[16] permission to fly the balloon near Turnberry golf course having been refused.[5] On 17 July 2018, the balloon was tethered outside the O2 Arena in London during a performance by the American rock band Pearl Jam, with their blessing.[17] Protesters plan on flying the Trump baby balloon in Ireland in November during trump's visit to the country.[18]

A group of activists in the United States raised nearly US$24,000 in a GoFundMe campaign to construct four Trump baby balloons that they plan to fly over Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Initially, they sought US$4,500 to build one balloon, with permission from the designer, but exceeded their goals more than fivefold.[19][20][21]

Museums including the British Museum and the Museum of London have expressed interest in acquiring or displaying the original balloon.[22][23]

Sadiq Khan balloon

A month later on 30 August 2018, pictures of a balloon similar to that of Donald Trump's were circulated, this time depicting London's Mayor Sadiq Khan wearing a bright yellow bikini. The balloon, like the Donald Trump baby balloon, was crowdfunded after £58,000 was raised to create the blimp. It featured Khan wearing a yellow bikini in response to the banning of a series of Protein World advertisements on London's public transport networks, which had shown a woman in a yellow bikini with the slogan "are you beach body ready?". The adverts were criticized for allegedly objectifying women and promoting unrealistic female body images. The adverts were eventually banned, with Sadiq Khan supporting their removal.[24]

As with the Trump balloon, the Metropolitan Police and the Greater London Authority approved the flight of the balloon. Sadiq Khan said "If people want to spend their Saturday looking at me in a yellow bikini they're welcome to do so, I don't really think yellow's my colour though." The blimp flew over London's Parliament Square on 1 September 2018.[25]

References

  1. 1 2 Yeginsu, Ceylan. "'Trump Baby' Balloon Takes Flight, as Protests in U.K. Take Off". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 July 2018. “There’s really nothing positive to say about him,” said James Rice, 24, a student who came to the protest in a wheelchair.
  2. ↑ Shute, Joe; Molloy, Mark (13 July 2018). "'Trump Baby' blimp flies outside Parliament as thousands of protesters march through London". The Telegraph. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  3. ↑ Swanson, Ian (16 July 2018). "Thousands march through the Edinburgh to demonstrate against Donald Trump". Edinburgh Evening News. The Scotsman. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  4. ↑ "Thousands protest as Donald Trump plays golf in Scotland". The Independent. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Turnberry ban for 'Trump Baby' balloon". BBC News. 12 July 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Penman, Maggie (5 July 2018). "London Mayor Says 'Trump Baby' Blimp Can Fly In Protest Of President Trump's Visit". NPR.
  7. ↑ Sandhu, Serena (5 July 2018). "Sadiq Khan's office gives giant 'Trump Baby' permission to fly over anti-Donald Trump protest". The Essential Daily Briefing. Johnston Publishing Ltd. Retrieved 14 July 2018. The petition: Make Trump Baby Fly. Donald Trump is a big, angry baby with a fragile ego and tiny hands. He's also racist demagogue who is a danger to women, immigrants and minorities and a mortal threat to world peace and the very future of life on earth. Moral outrage is water off a duck's back to Trump. But he really seems to hate it when people make fun of him. So when Trump visits the UK on Friday the 13th of July this year, we want to make sure he knows that all of Britain is looking down on him and laughing at him. That's why a group of us have chipped in and raised enough money to have a 6 metre high blimp made by a professional inflatables company, to be flown in the skies over Parliament Square during Trump's visit.
  8. ↑ "After Popular Uproar, 20-Foot-Tall Angry Trump Baby Blimp Gets Okay to Fly Over London During President's UK Visit". Common Dreams.
  9. 1 2 Doyle, Liam (13 July 2018). "Trump baby balloon: Who is behind the balloon mocking Donald Trump in London?". Daily Express. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  10. ↑ "Trump Baby". Crowdfunder.
  11. ↑ "Donald Trump angry baby balloon to fly over London during UK visit". The Australian. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  12. ↑ Khan, Shehab. "Everything you need to know about the giant baby Trump balloon". The Independent. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  13. 1 2 3 O'Grady, Siobhán (5 July 2018). "A giant blimp depicting Trump in a diaper is likely to greet the U.S. president when he visits London". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 30 July 2018.
  14. ↑ "Reality Check: The rules on protest balloons". BBC News. 13 July 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  15. ↑ "Trump complains baby balloon makes him feel 'unwelcome' in UK". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  16. ↑ Collier, Hatty (14 July 2018). "Trump baby balloon: giant blimp takes to the sky above Edinburgh after being transported from London". London Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 14 July 2018. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  17. ↑ "Baby Trump Balloon Takes Flight Outside Pearl Jam Show in London". Billboard. 18 July 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  18. ↑ "The baby Trump balloon is going to Ireland to meet the US president when he visits". The Independent. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  19. ↑ Held, Amy (19 July 2018). "American Baby Trump Blimp Set To Breeze Onto Namesake's Home Turf". NPR. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  20. ↑ Williams, David (17 July 2018). "'Baby Trump' balloons are coming to New Jersey after flying in the United Kingdom". CNN. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  21. ↑ Johnson, Alexis; Brodesser-Akner, Claude (18 July 2018). "'Baby Trump' balloon campaign blows away goal. Now they're having quadruplets". NJ.com. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  22. ↑ "British Museum in Trump Baby talks". Museums Association. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  23. ↑ Marshall, Alex (20 July 2018). "Britain Wants to Keep Trump. The Baby Version, That Is". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  24. ↑ Jacob Jarvis (13 July 2018). "Sadiq Khan balloon will fly over London to protest giant Donald Trump baby blimp | London Evening Standard". Standard.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  25. ↑ "Giant Sadiq Khan bikini-clad balloon to fly over London - BBC News". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
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