Donald Trump’s Walk of Fame Star Vandalized With Swastika
Donald Trump’s Walk of Fame star has been defaced yet again. And this isn’t the first time. According to the Wrap, Trump’s star on the Walk of Fame was defaced with a reverse swastika. Photos of the vandalism have been circulating the Internet over the weekend, but the source is unknown. This vandalism comes after his star was defaced with a yellow “X” a few months ago, in September 2015.
Somebody put an X over Donald Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. pic.twitter.com/w66R3oeWW4
— Hunter Schwarz (@hunterschwarz) September 10, 2015
Trump received a star on the Walk of Fame in 2007 for his work on The Apprentice. The Walk of Fame is overseen by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and they have been adding stars to the boulevard for more than 50 years. New stars are added all the time and 24 celebrities per year are selected to receive a star through a nomination process.
An actor named Austin Franklin, who dresses up as Batman on Hollywood Boulevard, said he frequently sees people stomping on Trump’s star as a show of disrespect and disgust. Although it’s not immediately clear what message the swastika on Trump’s star is supposed to convey, it may be related to some of Trump’s critics calling him a racist. There certainly isn’t a shortage of people who dislike the businessman turned politician.
Franklin said, “I’ve never seen this kind of hate put on a star before, not even Bill Cosby.”
In light of recent legal troubles, Bill Cosby’s star was also recently defaced with the word “rapist” written on it. Trump and Cosby aren’t the first celebrities to have their Walk of Fame stars vandalized, and they probably won’t be the last. The iconic Walk of Fame continues to be a tourist hot spot, despite being frequently tarnished with trash, vandalism and graffiti.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Trump’s Walk of Fame star is located at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has yet to respond to the most recent vandalism of Trump’s star, but they did have a comment about the vandalism to his Walk of Fame star back in September.
“We regret that someone would deface a historic landmark,” said Leron Gubler, who is the CEO and President of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
Donald Trump certainly knows how to keep himself in the limelight. Whether it’s his Walk of Fame star being vandalized, or people arguing over one of his recent debates, very few politicians have been as good as Trump at staying in the forefront of media attention. As a businessman who knows how to create controversy, this may give him a distinct advantage over career politicians.
Many people have inferred Trump’s antics are nothing short of an intentional media ploy that would be better cut out for reality television.
Trump wrote about his knack for self promotion in a book. A direct quote from the book says, “I play to people’s fantasies. It’s an innocent form of exaggeration—and a very effective form of promotion. I’ll do nearly anything within legal bounds to win.”
How much of Trump’s political campaign for President is just smoke and mirrors to win over popular opinion? It’s too early to know for sure, but in the meantime, it’s likely he’ll continue to make waves by dividing and conquering the American public. In the meantime, the recent vandalism on his Walk of Fame star may not be the last.
[Photo by Nigel Kileen/Getty Images]
