President Donald Trump’s upcoming trip to London will be overshadowed by a monstrous balloon hovering over the U.K. Parliament, depicting him as a growling, orange infant.
The 20-foot-tall inflatable blimp, playfully coined “Trump Baby,” was approved by London mayor Sadiq Khan’s Greater London Authority on Thursday. Although the mayor originally refused to grant permission for the flight, his tune changed after the project was met with overwhelming support. At the time of writing, the blimp’s crowdfunding campaign has raked in more than £18,000 ($23,858) to manufacture and inflate the balloon and collected more than 10,000 signatures in a petition to get it off the ground.
Speaking to Sky News, the activists behind Trump Baby explained the project’s rocky start.
“We didn’t get off to the best start with the Mayor’s office over this, who originally told us that they didn’t recognize Trump Baby as legitimate protest,” said artist Leo Murray. “But following a huge groundswell of public support for our plan, it looks like City Hall has rediscovered its sense of humor. Trump Baby will fly!”
A spokesperson for the mayor said he “supports the right to peaceful protest and understands this can take many different forms,” in a statement to CNBC.
The Trump Baby blimp will be strapped to the grounds of Parliament Square Gardens on the morning of July 13, marking the President Trump’s first official visit to London, and will coincide with “Stop Trump,” an activist march to take place in central London.
Trump Baby will have to adhere to strict guidelines if it plans to take flight, including an ordinance limiting it from floating higher than 98 feet.
The people behind the blimp hope that the money raised will also help to fund a second “flight” somewhere else during Trump’s stay in London.
“If we can troll Donald from the skies wherever he goes for long enough, he’ll start seeing #TrumpBaby in his dreams,” said the blimp’s creators in a statement on their crowdfunding page.
