Donald Trump’s Hollywood Walk Of Fame Star Vandalized With Sledgehammer
Dominic Patten/Deadline
EXCLUSIVE: Donald Trump took a lot of hits today, and not just in the Presidential race. With less than two weeks to go before America decides if the ex-Apprentice host will pull off a surprise victory over Hillary Clinton, Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was destroyed early Wednesday morning by a man dressed as a city construction worker and wielding a sledgehammer and pick-ax in what looks to be a Tinseltown first.
The attack on the embedded, five-pointed terrazzo and brass star came at around 5:45 AM on Hollywood Boulevard. Located right near the Dolby Theatre, Trump’s star was dedicated in 2007 in recognition of his work fronting and firing on the NBC series. ApprenticeEP Mark Burnett, Larry King and then Tonight Show host Jay Leno all spoke at the ceremony for Trump almost a decade ago.
Speaking to Deadline, the man said his name was Jamie Otis. He said he originally intended to remove Trump’s star completely to auction it off next month in New York to raise funds for the women who have recently come forward to accuse Trump of sexually assaulting them over the decades. In the past few months, 11 women have claimed the GOP POTUS candidate groped or otherwise attempt to get intimate with them. At a rally earlier this week, Trump told supporters the accusers were not telling the truth and that he would sue them after the November 8 election.
The removal effort was not a success today, with the star smashed into pieces but not leaving the ground.
Usually one of the most crowded spots in L.A. during the daytime, there was almost no one around in the pre-dawn hours as the vandal attacked Trump’s star. Moving fast and with apparent planning, the defacer attracted little attention except from a few passers-by. There was no LAPD presence in the usually well-patrolled tourist spot just across from where Jimmy Kimmel Live! is filmed most weekdays.
REX/Shutterstock
This is of course not the first time the GOP candidate’s star has been attacked or defaced since Trump announced his White House bid in summer 2015. The most extreme measure was a reverse swastika being sprayed on the star at 6801 Hollywood Blvd in late January. In June this summer, a mute sign was painted on Trump’s star in a seemingly protest against the antagonistic language and policies some have accused Trump of promoting and reveling in during the campaign. In both cases, Trump’s star was quickly cleaned and back as new within a day.
In July, an L.A. street artist surrounded the Trump star with a tiny wall topped by tiny razor wire to knock the candidate’s much-repeated plan to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico if elected. Like other designs on the Trump star, the little wall was soon removed.
The more than 2,500 stars up and down the boulevard are maintained by the Hollywood Historic Trust and chosen by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce – who are probably just learning now what happened this morning.
Despite a petition to remove the Trump star from Hollywood Blvd, the Chamber of Commerce has said it’s staying – until today it seems
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