Donald Trump’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star voted to be removed
US President Donald Trump’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star has been voted to be permanently removed. On Monday, the West Hollywood City Council unanimously passed a resolution asking for the removal of the former reality show host’s star “due to his disturbing treatment of women and other actions that do not meet the shared values of the City of West Hollywood, the region, state and country.”
It cited Trump’s infamous vulgar comments on the “Access Hollywood” tape, his administration’s policy of separating families, his views on climate change, treatment of transgender people, as well as his denial of Russian interference in the 2016 election. The resolution was initiated by West Hollywood Mayor pro tempore John D’Amico and councilmember Lindsey Horvath.
West Hollywood doesn’t have any control over the Walk of Fame stars. What it can do is to simply urge the City Council of Los Angeles and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce for the removal of Trump’s star.
“These are the sort of icons and images that define us Americans,” West Hollywood Mayor John Duran told the Washington Post. “To think that we would pay tribute to someone who’s causing such a horrible disaster to our country’s values.”
It is yet to be seen if Trump’s star would be removed. In 2015, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce rejected a request by civil rights groups to remove disgraced TV star Bill Cosby’s star from the Hollywood Walk of Fame. CEO Leron Gubler gave an empathic no then, saying once a star has been added, it would never be removed.
As for Trump, Gubler told CNN in a statement that the resolution has been referred to the group’s Executive Committee for consideration at its next meeting. However, he added, “there are no plans to remove any stars from the Hollywood Walk of Fame.”
It was the first time the council had to ask for a removal of a star. It didn’t try to intervene when a few Hollywood men who own stars in the Walk of Fame were accused of rape, sexual harassment or assault.
“They’ve had their day in court; they’ve had their trial,” Duran explained, referring to men like Cosby. But with Trump being the US president, it is unlikely that he would be made to face allegations any time soon. “There’s a sense of lawlessness that is occurring that is largely being orchestrated by the president.”
Trump’s star has been repeatedly defaced since he announced he would be running for president. It was vandalised with a swastika, spray-painted with profanity, and enclosed with a border wall. It has also been smashed into pieces twice, the latest one was just last month when a man destroyed the star with a pickaxe.
Trump received his star in 2007.
