Trump’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star caged after repeated vandalism, Internet says 'bury it in the ocean'
President Donald Trump's Hollywood Walk of Fame star has been covered by a cage and boarded up after consistently being vandalized over the years. The star is now covered up with a piece of wood and has a metal gate around it. Trump's star, over the past few years, has been vandalized with paint, stickers, and a pickax. There are many who view the caged star as ironic considering the Trump administration's history of separating immigrant families and placing children in cages.
Ever since the Republican took office in January 2017, his Walk of Fame star's vandalism has reportedly cost the Hollywood Historic Trust thousands of dollars in repairs. The star — during Trump's term — was blacked out with spray paint, defaced with swastikas and messages like "Putin's b***h," surrounded by a miniature version of the Republican's proposed border wall and many other defacements. Reports state that the heir of Otis Elevator, James Otis, has been detained multiple times for vandalizing Trump's star.
The latest vandalism occurred a few days before the 2020 presidential election. The president's star was covered by wood and surrounded by a fence in anticipation of vandalism; however, Otis reportedly hopped the fence and smashed the star with a pickax. He later turned himself in to police.
Several people appreciated the move, while some others suggested that the star should be removed altogether. One wrote: "Just get rid of it. He's not famous anymore,...he's infamous. If it needs to be caged and boarded up then it needs to go. The people of Hollywood's ability to walk without the obstruction is more important." Another said: "It’s a metaphor now. I like this even more than removing it." A third suggested: "It should be hammered out, bury in the ocean far far away. Where no one would ever find it. No one would want to. I'm sure someone would volunteer services."
Just get rid of it. He's not famous anymore,...he's infamous. If it needs to be caged and boarded up then it needs to go. The people of Hollywood's ability to walk without the obstruction is more important.
— E (@E95806402) December 6, 2020
It’s a metaphor now. I like this even more than removing it.
— Peanut Butter Toast (@OGpbToast) December 6, 2020
It should be hammered out, bury in the ocean far far away. Where no one would ever find it. No one would want to. I'm sure someone would volunteer services.
— Esmy Villarreal 😷 Mask save lives, please (@VillarrealEsmy) December 7, 2020
The freshly boarded up star comes at a time when Trump has refused to concede in the 2020 presidential elections to President-elect Joe Biden, claiming alleged voter fraud. The Republican and his campaign, however, has not provided any evidence to back his claims. Trump is also reportedly considering a dramatic departure from the White House that includes a final Air Force One flight to Florida where he will host an opposing rally during President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, according to a new Axios report. The outlet's Alayna Treene wrote: "The Trump talk could create a split-screen moment: the outgoing president addressing a roaring crowd in an airport hangar while the incoming leader is sworn in before a socially distanced audience outside the Capitol."
Trump is reportedly planning to give Biden's swearing-in ceremony a miss in January and has proposed the idea of a Florida rally to announce his 2024 bid to reclaim the presidency, people familiar with the discussion told NBC News. The update comes days after the Republican, in November, had stated that he would leave the White House if the Electoral College votes for Biden. President Trump has still not conceded to Biden in the 2020 presidential elections and has alleged "massive fraud" in the vote count, without providing any evidence to support his claim. Trump, previously, when asked whether he would consider running again on the Republican ticket in 2024 had said: "I don’t want to talk to 2024 yet."
The news comes days after Biden, in an interview with CNN, had stated that he wanted Trump to attend his inauguration on January 20, shake his hand and let the country move on. "I think it would be important only in one sense - not in a personal sense important - in the sense that we are able to demonstrate at the end of this chaos that he's created that there is peaceful transfer of power, with the competing parties, standing there, shaking hands, and moving on. I really worry about the image we're presenting to the rest of the world," the Democrat told CNN’s Jake Tapper.