Donald Trump Banners, Yard Signs, Other Paraphernalia Stolen From Republican Booth At Illinois State Fair
A Donald Trump banner, as well as Donald Trump yard signs and other Trump-related paraphernalia was stolen from the Illinois Republican Party booth at the Illinois State Fair, Springfield’s State Journal-Register reports.
It’s State Fair season in Springfield, which means that all of Central Illinois is abuzz with corn dogs, carnival rides, livestock exhibitions, and all of the other sights & sounds that accompany state fairs. And for as long as state fairs have been a thing, politicians have had a presence there, too. The Illinois State Fair is no different: both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party have booths there.
The Illinois Republican Party booth this year is all about Donald Trump. And it seems that someone wasn’t particularly happy about that, as it appears that someone broke into the fairgrounds overnight Monday night and made off with some of the booth’s Trump-related paraphernalia, said spokesperson Anthony Sarros.
“When we got into the tent, we saw that some things were disheveled, and quickly realized that our Trump yard signs that we had in there were gone.”
About 20 Donald Trump yard signs appear to have been taken, to be specific. Also gone was an eight-by-four-foot banner with Trump’s name and the words “Make Illinois Great Again”; and a flag with Trump’s name, the year 2020, and Trump’s unofficial 2020 campaign slogan, “Keep America Great.”
Severe storms over and around the Illinois State Fair, they officially closed the fairgrounds at around 8:50 p.m. Tornado warned storms to the north pic.twitter.com/jvc1rE1S0R
— Justin L. Fowler (@justinlfowler) August 13, 2019
The thief, or thieves, appeared to have left what Sorros thought should have been the booth’s most sought-after prize — a cut-out of Trump.
“Weirdly enough, we have a life-size cutout of the president, and that was still there,” he said.
However, Sorros noted that the Trump cut-out was zip-tied to a pole, so it might have been too much trouble for the thieves to try to pilfer.
Sorros said the party plans to file a police report. He also mourned that someone who has a problem with Trump would express their dissatisfaction through petty theft.
“It’s unfortunate that political decorum has kind of fallen this low,” he said.
This is not the first time that someone has expressed their dissatisfaction with Trump through petty theft. As The Washington Times reported in September 2016 — weeks before Trump was even elected — an Amherst, New York man said his pro-Trump signs kept getting stolen from his front yard. The homeowner put up recording equipment, and surveillance footage revealed that the alleged thief was the former vice president of academic affairs at a local college.
