'Trump Baby' blimp will fly during president's upcoming state visit to UK, protest organizers confirm
President Donald Trump will be back in London during his first official state visit to the UK in June and the "Trump Baby" blimp will reportedly also be there.
Protest organizers have confirmed that the 20-foot-tall balloon which depicts the president as a crying baby in a diaper will be flying over London during the president's visit. Organizers are also looking to scale up their protest after they decided to go against raising funds for a bigger balloon.
One of the creators of the blimp, Leo Murray, told CNN: "The original Trump baby blimp will definitely be back. We are looking at other creative interventions we could make. We'd looked into commissioning a bigger balloon, including getting quotes for hot air balloons — but decided against it as it's so expensive."
The blimp became the symbol of the major protests in London when Trump went on a working visit to the country last year after it was flown next to the Houses of Parliament with thousands of protesters taking to the streets. Organizers said that 250,000 people attended the protest.
The president was kept out of London during most of that trip but it is likely that he will spend more time in the city during his first official state visit to the UK in June this year. The visit was announced by Buckingham Palace on April 23, meaning Trump could see the baby blimp while attending professional engagements.
Murray said: "If he is going to address Parliament... then flying him from Parliament Square again would be perfect. Trump Baby destroys his fantasy about how the world sees him."
Foreign leaders normally address lawmakers during state visits aside from meeting the Queen and other members of the royal family. Several members of the Parliament, however, are hoping to block Trump from speaking and more than 60 have supported the motion that called for his invitation to be revoked.
David Lammy, an MP for the opposition Labour Party, wrote on Twitter: "Deluded, dishonest, xenophobic, narcissistic, Donald Trump is no friend of Britain. He is not fit to hold public office, let alone worthy of our country's highest honors and a banquet with the Queen. Theresa May is selling out the UK to a serial liar and a cheat."
Thousands have also taken to social media to express interest in another protest during the visit. London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who Trump has regularly insulted on Twitter, approved the request for the blimp to fly after more than 10,000 people signed a petition and £16,000 was raised in a crowdfunding campaign last year.
A spokesperson for the mayor hinted that another request for this year would receive approval. He told CNN in a statement: "Any application to fly it on land that the Greater London Authority manage will be judged by the same criteria as last time by GLA officials, the police and the Civil Aviation Authority."
Trump has criticized Khan on a few occasions including after the terror attacks took place in the city and the mayor has also made his opposition to the president clear.
In a statement that was released on April 23, the White House said that the state visit "will reaffirm the steadfast and special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom".