Tens of Thousands of Protesters and a Giant, Diaper-Clad Baby: Trump’s London Nightmare Has Begun

On Tuesday, a giant balloon depicting a petulant, smartphone-wielding Donald Trump in diapers, otherwise known as Trump Baby Blimp, appeared in Parliament Square, as volunteers clad in “Trump Babysitter” uniforms prepared for the US president to drive by en route to 10 Downing Street.

Two demonstrators—one portraying a gorilla-masked Trump behind bars and the other of Boris Johnson in a prison jumpsuit—posed for photos several feet from the orange spectacle. Over in Trafalgar Square, an estimated 10,000 people had quickly gathered to protest.

The scenes in central London on Tuesday belonged to one of the many “Stop Trump” events scheduled across the UK this week, as protesters demonstrate against both the Trump administration’s policies and the UK government’s controversial decision to honor the American president with an official state visit.

The demonstrations, which are not likely to enhance the president’s sour mood, came one day after he predicted that the “Fake News” media would be working overtime to cover protests, casting doubt that any even existed. Contrary to the claim, however, such moments were abundant and easily available for public view on Tuesday. Here are some highlights:

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WE'LL BE BLUNT

It is astonishingly hard keeping a newsroom afloat these days, and we need to raise $253,000 in online donations quickly, by October 7.

The short of it: Last year, we had to cut $1 million from our budget so we could have any chance of breaking even by the time our fiscal year ended in June. And despite a huge rally from so many of you leading up to the deadline, we still came up a bit short on the whole. We can’t let that happen again. We have no wiggle room to begin with, and now we have a hole to dig out of.

Readers also told us to just give it to you straight when we need to ask for your support, and seeing how matter-of-factly explaining our inner workings, our challenges and finances, can bring more of you in has been a real silver lining. So our online membership lead, Brian, lays it all out for you in his personal, insider account (that literally puts his skin in the game!) of how urgent things are right now.

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