An inflatable Trump rat is waiting for the president in Manhattan
President Trump has a large, inflatable surprise waiting for him when he returns to Manhattan — a giant rat made in his likeness.
SEE ALSO: Protesters, journalists capture sobering images of racists marching in Charlottesville
The Trump rat, an art installation that was funded via Kickstarter, has been greeting New Yorkers at Fifth Ave. and 59th Street.
Here it is in all its glory.
With the President scheduled to return to Midtown today, a giant inflatable #TrumpRat has arrived at 59th and 5th. pic.twitter.com/HQNRDNuJb7
— Scott Heins (@scottheins) August 14, 2017
Corner of 59th/5th, two and a half blocks up from Castle Trumpula pic.twitter.com/0VNeWKohq4
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) August 14, 2017
@realdonaldtrump #FuckDONALDTRUMP #fuckwhitesupremacyanditssupporters
A post shared by Jose 👼 Perez™ (@kalel259) on Aug 14, 2017 at 10:10am PDT
The masterpiece is modeled after the blowup rodents used by labor unions to protest the hiring of non-union workers.
BravinLee, the artist group responsible for the Trump rat, said the rat itself is "an enduring sign of resistance and ridicule," which has been repurposed to help lead protests against Trump's policies.
"The intent was to fabricate an inflatable Trump Rat and get it out into the world, keep it circulating, and loan it out to protests," BravinLee's website states. "We will inflate and position it in as many different locations that we are able."
A post shared by BravinLee Programs (@bravinlee) on Aug 8, 2017 at 6:48am PDT
This is not the first time a giant inflatable animal has been made in Trump's image.
Just last week, a Trump chicken landed behind the White House:
It appears some protesters have inflated this behind the White House. pic.twitter.com/TduZC591BK
— Steve Kopack (@SteveKopack) August 9, 2017
The launch of the Trump rat coincides with the president's first visit home since his inauguration. Initially expected to arrive in New York on Sunday, Trump was delayed until Monday evening following the violence at Saturday's white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
“Racism is evil,” Trump said Monday, two days after the events in Charlottesville. “And those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including the K.K.K., neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans.”
Trump faced heavy backlash for his initial statement regarding Charlottesville on Saturday, in which he condemned violence "on many sides," but failed to explicitly denounce the white supremacist organizations responsible. It was seen as a tepid criticism, to say the least.
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