About

Trump Baby Balloon refers to an inflatable blimp depicting United States President Donald Trump as an angry infant, which was flown in London, England during Trump's July 2018 visit to the United Kingdom.

Origin

The balloon, a 19-foot high blimp depicting Donald Trump as a baby holding a cell phone and throwing a temper tantrum, is the work of British activist Leo Murray, who stated "(Trump) is a deeply insecure man, and that is the only leverage we have over him… If we want his attention, we have to do something that humiliates him." On July 5th, 2018, London mayor Sadiq Khan gave permission to protestors to fly the balloon during the president's visit to the UK the following week, saying "The Mayor supports the right to peaceful protest and understands this can take many different forms."^[1]

Spread

On July 13th, 2018, the balloon flew as Trump landed in the UK to talk with English government officials. Trump stated he would avoid London as the balloon made him feel "unwelcome,"^[2] telling The Sun:

“I guess when they put out blimps to make me feel unwelcome, no reason for me to go to London… I used to love London as a city. I haven’t been there in a long time. But when they make you feel unwelcome, why would I stay there?”

Twitter users joked about the blimp with photoshops using the balloon in place of Trump. User @JonCooperTweets posted such an image, gaining over 2,300 retweets and 5,600 likes (shown below, left). User @Tiffee540 also posted a photoshop, gaining 17 retweets and 52 likes (shown below, right).

Other Twitter users were less impressed with the balloon, saying it was rather small. The Twitter account for /r/The_Donald tweeted a joke featuring James Comey looking unimpressed at the balloon, gaining over 30 retweets and 180 likes (shown below, right). Reactions to the blimp were covered by Daily Dot.^[3]

American Protests

After the protest in England, American activists in New Jersey launched a GoFundMe for a blimp of their own.^[4] The money, $4,500, was raised in less than 24 hours, and the blimp should arrive by mid-August. American areas also with campaigns to get the balloon include Silver Spring, Maryland; Austin, Texas; St. Louis, Missouri; and Farmington, New Mexico.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References