Unflattering, flesh-toned statues of naked Donald Trumps popped up in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Seattle on Thursday morning, a sight that had many gawking and talking about the political art titled “The Emperor Has No Balls.”
The looming, painted clay statues placed in traditionally liberal cities drew many laughs, especially over Trump's protruding gut, and miniscule you-know-what.
"I think it's brilliant," Curtis Jensen said taking a picture of said private part in San Francisco's predominantly gay Castro district on Thursday alongside his partner. "He needs to be brought down a peg."
In San Francisco, a permit had not been issued for the installation so the Department of Public Works planned to remove the statue overnight. Supervisor Scott Wiener scheduled a news conference for Friday morning to announce his plan to relocate the statue at Lefty O'Doul's restaurant on Union Square.
While many real-life Trump critics were nary to be found, at least in the San Francisco Bay Area, some jumped on social media in the Republican's defense. They wondered aloud what the Left would say if the same type of mockery had been made of Hillary Clinton.
"Again the Leftists are showing how low class they are...wonder how well this would go over if conservatives did something similar too Hillary," Facebook user Christina Anderson wrote.
The same sentiment was echoed elsewhere, too.
Local
"I do kind of wish whoever did it would do Hillary as well," said Ken Warchol of New Haven, Connecticut.
A self-described anarchist group called INDECLINE was the mastermind behind the painted statues, first reported by the Washington Post. Six people helped the group set up the statues in each of the five cities Thursday morning.
The group posted a well-produced video of the creation of the statues. A soundtrack peppered with Trump's voice saying things like "You want some?" "The American dream is dead" and "I will build a great wall" bleats to a mashup of the national anthem.
The Post reported that the group asked an artist called Ginger to create the statues, based on his past designs of monsters for haunted houses and horror movies. Ginger's signature was on the base of the statue in San Francisco.
"When the guys approached me, it was all because of my monster-making abilities," Ginger said in an interview with the Post about how INDECLINE reached out to him for the four-month project. "Trump is just yet another monster, so it was absolutely in my wheelhouse to be able to create these monstrosities."
A spokesman for INDECLINE asked for anonymity in the article and could not be immediately tracked down on Thursday. An email sent to INDECLINE's website was not immediately returned. The group's website showed an image of a roadside sign showing Interstate 880 in Oakland as its main art, indicating its headquarters may have ties to the Bay Area.
Trump also had not tweeted about the display as of Thursday evening.
Naked Donald Trump Sighting in the Castro
People across the country had plenty to say about their feelings regarding the Trump statues that showed off the billionaire and his bottom.
On Thursday, onlookers stopped at the corner of Castro and Market streets to snap pictures of the statue, which also featured a second, tiny Donald Trump, wearing a suit and red tie, placed curiously underneath the ominous larger Trump.
Passersby chortled about the Trump statue’s orange-hued, but “lifelike” pallor, quipping that the figurine had “better hair” than the man in question. The creation was also deemed "creative," "impactful" and "misdirected."
But some described feeling torn because such a stunt could drive a deeper wedge between already polarized voters. Others disagreed, saying all public figures are fair game.
Tourists from Los Angeles whipped out cell phones to document the odd sight. One man with curly hair smiled as he tried to see if he was taller than the eight- or nine-foot statue.
Like others, Myces Garcia said the statue was perfect. "He's the guy with the biggest ego, an idiot." He said the city of San Francisco "should keep it. It looks great."
When Dylan Higgins-Kiang of Alameda was asked what he might change about the Trump statue, the 9-year-old replied: "I think it’s fine, but just make the head a lot bigger.”
Why?
“Because he’s all about himself. I’m number one. I love myself. I’m great," came the reply.
In Central Los Angeles, the statue of Trump, who has repeatedly said he would build a wall to prevent Mexicans from entering the United States, was placed in the Los Feliz neighborhood. The statue stood directly in front of the La Luz Jesus Gallery, showing the naked figure angrily looking out against a backdrop of colorful, Mexican designs.
In New York’s Union Square, the statue drew crowds before it was ultimately taken down by the Dept. of Parks and Recreation.
Marcos Alvarado, 10, of Queens passed by with his mother, pointing out the irony: "It's funny because he's being mean to everybody that is not from this country. It's funny because they're making fun of him."
INDECLINE, the Post reported, was also behind covering up the stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with the names of African Americans who have been killed by police.
In the past, the collective has also claimed responsibility for an anti-Trump “Rape” mural on the U.S.-Mexico border and a massive piece of graffiti art in California’s Mojave Desert.
NBC Bay Area's Pete Suratos and Jean Elle contributed to this report.
