Issue and Opponent: Donald Trump announced his candidacy for president in 2015. Trump’s presidential campaign was riddled with profanities and the normalization of bigotry. Still, he stood above all other Republican nominees by appealing to the fears and hopes of the GOP.
Dilemma Action: In 2015, Hanksy, a graffiti artist, created a mural depicting Trump as a pile of feces on Orchard Street in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. What started as a comical joke about Trump, quickly became a rallying cry against him during his campaign. Hanksy urged fans to quite literally dump Trump by participating in a street art campaign where voters could download free images and banners protesting Trump. The mural stood clear of any other graffiti for over a year. The Trump campaign reportedly had no immediate response or comments. Removing the mural during the campaign, however, would have only solidified the image of Trump that Hanksy was attempting to portray. Trump himself would comment on the mural but he mistakenly acknowledged the mural as a potato and not as a portrayal of himself. The mural lasted the entire force of the presidential campaign.
Outcomes: In 2017, days before Trump was supposed to be sworn in as President of the United States, the mural was removed. Originally, the owners of the building had stated that they had received orders to remove the mural or be subject to a fine. However, it was later revealed that the owners of the building erased the mural because they were nervous to have it up after Trump was sworn into office.