One of the biggest tools that Americans have found to use against Donald Trump since he took over as President is also possibly the most effective: Sending a message in the public square that not only lets Trump himself know what Americans think of him, but also lets other Americans know that they’re not alone in the way they feel about where the country is headed.
Giant billboards have been erected on the only routes to his golf courses, citizens have waited as the presidential caravan has passed to hold up signs (and fingers), and even the people of Switzerland hung a banner on the side of a mountain to let Trump know that he wasn’t welcome in Davos for the World Economic Forum.
Some of the protests aren’t so much about what goes up, however, but what comes down — in many cases, Trump’s most prized possession: His name.
Trump has spent decades cultivating his last name as a brand, slapping it on steaks and vodka and ties. But mostly Trump wants it on the side of buildings, because it either indicates he owns it or that his company “manages” the building or has a contract with the owners — meaning that inhabitants are attracted by the name itself.
The problem is, the name is no longer attractive, and hotels, casinos, and resorts around the world have been taking his name — always in tall gold letters — off the sides of their buildings.
Now it’s happened again, and in possibly the most personal way for Trump so far. Residents of “Trump Place” on Riverside Boulevard in Manhattan’s Upper West Side have taken a vote inside the 46-story condo building, and with nearly 70 percent support, decided to remove his name, citing security risks, a reduced property value, and the fact that they just plain don’t like Trump.
Today those giant gold letters came down.
We’ve got a couple minutes of the more than sixty minutes it took for workers to hammer, pry, and chisel away the odious name. Watch it here:
Featured image via Wikimedia Commons
