A giant Trump baby blimp that the president says makes him 'feel unwelcome' is following him to London this summer — and could be 5 times as big
- The Trump Baby balloon, which President Donald Trump has said he doesn't like, is planning to return to follow him around on his state visit to the UK in June 2019.
- The Stop Trump Coalition, which manages the blimp, told Business Insider it is considering replacing the blimp with one five times as large.
- Trump made a brief visit to the UK last year, after plans for a full state visit were repeatedly pushed back. Reports suggested that Trump was anxious about protests.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
A inflatable blimp depicting President Donald Trump as a baby — which Trump has previously said he dislikes and makes him "feel unwelcome" — is due to make an appearance at his state visit to the UK in June. And this time it could be five times as big.
The 20-foot (6-meter) balloon hovered over Westminster, near the Houses of Parliament, when Trump made an appearance in London on July 13, 2018.
Leo Murray, who set up the crowdfunding page for the original balloon told Business Insider: "The Trump baby will definitely fly again."
He said that, with sufficient funding, they could create a much larger balloon.
"We have been toying with the idea of a Trump baby hot air balloon, which would be about five times the size. But would cost a huge amount of money – upwards of £70,000 ($90,500.)"
Murray said the group does not currently have enough money for that and is not in full agreement on the project.
During his visit from June 3 to June 5, Trump will meet Queen Elizabeth II, and hold talks with Prime Minister Theresa May.
The itinerary states Trump will also host an event in Portsmouth, southern England, to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day.
During his last visit to London, in July 2018, the president told British newspaper The Sun: "I guess when they put out blimps to make me feel unwelcome, no reason for me to go to London."
"I used to love London as a city," Trump said. "I haven't been there in a long time. But when they make you feel unwelcome, why would I stay there?"
As many as 250,000 people took to London's streets in July to protest Trump's visit.
In November 2018 the blimp also followed Trump to Paris, and later to the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The original blimp cost £5,000 ($6,500) to make and was the brainchild of Matt Bonner, 36, from London.
Asad Rehman, a spokesman for the Stop Trump Coalition, told Business Insider they were confident of getting approval from local authorities in London, who need to give permission for it to be used.
"We're confident that he [Donald Trump] will hear and sees our voice."
"We do have the baby blimp. It will fly and we're also thinking about the option of making a bigger baby blimp. Logistics are the only consideration."
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