Baby Trump Balloon Will Appear In Washington During Fourth Of July Celebration

The infamous Baby Trump balloon will be making an appearance during President Donald Trump‘s July 4 extravaganza, appearing on a section of the National Mall near the Washington Monument.

The progressive group putting up the balloon, Code Pink, received approval by the National Park Service to display the baby from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. Due to government restrictions prohibiting balloons on the National Mall, the group is only allowed to present Baby Trump if it is “filled with cold-air only and unable to achieve flight.”

In a statement released on Tuesday, Code Pink expressed frustration with the permit and its rigidity. In their statement, the group wrote that the permit “is not in the location we requested — within line of sight of the Lincoln Memorial where President Trump will be speaking.” The activists had apparently requested to fly the balloon “on the large, empty expanse at the base of the Washington Monument that would not have obstructed anyone’s view but would have allowed the president to see the baby.”

The group wrote that they are petitioning the Federal Aviation Administration’s Flight Standards District Offices to allow them to fill the balloon with enough helium that it can rise two feet off of the ground. “We are now trying to get the waiver from the FSDO, but feel this bureaucratic process is designed to force us to just keep the baby on the ground, instead of floating it in the air,” Tighe Barry, a Code Pink organizer, said in the statement. “It’s ridiculous that we have to contact the FAA to hoist a balloon two feet off the ground.”

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The activist group hopes to put a damper on Trump’s celebration, signaling to the president that the American population will not sit idly by and watch as he co-opts the Independence Day festivities. Trump is scheduled to make a speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the “Salute to America” event, set to take place from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Article by Daniel Knopf