Baby Trump Balloon
Via Shutterstock
Through the power of crowdfunding, protestors have garnered the use of two Baby Trump blimps for the president’s visit Thursday.
Weather permitting, the balloons will be tethered at The Saloon and First Avenue, who have agreed to be hosts of the Baby Trumps.
The balloons made their way to Minneapolis by way of popular demand and crowdfunding, says Diane Dodd with Minnesota Protests.
“Right from the beginning when we heard there was going to be a Trump visit to the Target Center, once we heard that, protests were immediately organized and announced,” Dodd says, adding that Minnesotans were also immediately asking for the iconic balloon. “Someone described it as a rallying symbol for people who are not in support of our administration.”
People took to contacting the balloon owner with Baby Trump Tour, she says, and as an organizer she was eventually looped in to help make it happen.
“They all asked. 'We got to get the balloon to Minnesota,'” Dodd says. “It kind of snowballed from there, and at first we were going to just have one balloon, but then the response was just so amazing that we actually have two balloons now.”
The feedback has been overwhelming, with the money to get the first balloon to Minneapolis being raised just overnight, she says. Getting the 15-foot-tall and 8-foot-wide baby Trump balloon here and organizing the protests has taken the collaborative effort of a coalition of multiple social justice organizations.
One of the balloons will be tethered to the ground outside of The Saloon on the First Avenue side, and the other will sit on top of the roof of First Avenue, which is donating Thursday’s profits to Planned Parenthood.
“Both venues have just really stepped up, been supportive, and this is all something new for people,” Dodd says. "We're really thankful to the people in Minnesota."
Flown in from New Jersey with the owner Jim Girvan and another balloon expert, the balloons arrived a day earlier than expected, and with that, plans changed to having them both up and inflated on Wednesday. This is also due to the weather being decent today (despite strong gusts of wind adjusting plans to have baby Trump on the roof of the Saloon to the balloon being next to it on the ground). Inclement weather is expected for tomorrow, so the Baby Trumps may or may not be standing, Dodd says it all depends on the variables.
They will not be bobbing around with gas, due to FAA restrictions, but instead be securely fastened to the ground and rooftop.
Safety precautions will be taken Thursday for the protests and presidential visit, and The Saloon itself will also be upping security, according to WCCO.
“Everyone’s intent is for this to be a peaceful opportunity for Minnesotans to come out and utilize their freedom of speech, and talk about how they feel about this administration, and that’s all we’re trying to do, is give people a space to be able to speak," Dodd says.
Baby Trump Balloon
Courtesy of Diane Dodd
