'Trump Baby' balloon set to take flight during July 4th celebration in Washington
NEW YORK -- The "Trump Baby" balloon dominated headlines during President Donald Trump's recent state visit to the U.K., and now the infamous blimp is set to cast a shadow over the upcoming July 4th celebration in Washington.
The feminist activist group Code Pink successfully applied for a permit to fly the 20-foot "Trump Baby" balloon earlier this month, and plans to put it near the Lincoln Memorial.
"The application has been approved, meaning the demonstration will be allowed to take place, but no permit has been issued yet," Mark Litterst, chief spokesperson of the National Park Service, told ABC News. "We are working with the applicants to determine the location and specific conditions under which the demonstration will take place."
In February, President Trump tweeted that July 4th in Washington would be “one of the biggest gatherings in the history” of the city and that the celebration would be called “A Salute To America.”
The "Trump Baby" blimp, a giant balloon that depicts the president in diapers holding an iPhone, served as the focal point for protests against the president’s state visit in London last month. Thousands of people attended the London protests, organized by the "Stand up to Trump" group, in order to show that "people here reject him and his toxic politics," a spokesperson for the group told ABC News.
Code Pink appears to be inspired by those protest tactics, and Code Pink's co-founder, Medea Benjamin, told ABC News earlier this month that "British Humor will be appreciated here in Washington."
"Trump's America has been one of putting children in cages, dangerous instigation towards war with Iran, banning refugees and immigrants, aligning with the murderous Saudi regime, supporting Israel's occupation of Palestinian land, and spreading hate and racism," Code Pink said in a statement to ABC News. "On the 4th of July, Trump plans to bring those sentiments to what has traditionally been a nonpartisan holiday in D.C."
