August 9, 2018
After Being Destroyed, Trump's Walk of Fame Star Multiplies
by Paul Bond, Bryan White
The Hollywood Reporter
Fake Trump Walk of Fame stars pop up on Aug. 9 after the president's real star was destroyed again.
A crew laminated vinyl stars and placed them on blank squares in Hollywood.
Donald Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame — destroyed on several occasions by detractors who sometimes wield a pick-ax — mysteriously multiplied over night so that on Thursday morning there were several dozen stars.
The effort comes from a conservative street artist who wishes to remain anonymous, but says he was motivated not only by the destruction of the president's real star, but also a recent unanimous vote by the West Hollywood City Council to recommend the removal of Trump's star due to accusations he has mistreated women.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and Los Angeles City Council haven't weighed in on the matter, but those who oppose the proposal note that others in Hollywood who have also been accused of mistreating women still have stars on the Walk of Fame, most notably Bill Cosby.
The anonymous artist says he's not done with his mission to preserve Trump's star. "Rip up the president's Walk of Fame star or try to have it removed — like you're the mayor of West Hollywood or something — and 30 more will pop up," the artist tells The Hollywood Reporter.
The artist and his cohorts, who call themselves "The Faction" and are allies of prolific conservative artist Sabo, spent $1,000 on the stars, which they printed on sheets of floor vinyl with adhesive backing, and their mission was partially financed by "a young and anonymous entrepreneur."
The crew laminated the vinyl stars and placed them on blank squares on the Walk of Fame, though kept them covered until all were secured into place so that onlookers would not know exactly what was happening.
"I didn't want to get hit over the head from behind. We thought Trump Derangement Syndrome was a joke, but I'm pretty sure it's real," the artist said. "If no one peels these off, they could last there for 10 years."
But those stars were peeled off. One Ripley's Believe It or Not! employee said the stars began to be peeled off because "we didn't want to have what happened to the old star here. Not only would the star be destroyed, but it would damage our property."
A member of the cleaning service that deals with daily graffiti and vandalism on the Walk of Fame said, "We started at 5 o'clock in the morning and we've found about 50 stars." A street vendor added, "I was surprised, it looked pretty real."
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/trumps-walk-fame-star-multiplies-hollywood-1133678
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