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Trump's star on the Walk of Fame to be permanently removed after West Hollywood council vote

Marker has been damaged several times since 2016 presidential campaign

Tom Barnes
Tuesday 07 August 2018 09:30 BST
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Donald Trump's Hollywood Walk of Fame star destroyed with pick axe

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West Hollywood councillors have voted “unanimously” to remove Donald Trump’s star from the city’s Walk of Fame.

The marker, which was unveiled in 2007, has been vandalised several times since the US president took office and was almost completely destroyed in July in a pickaxe attack.

At a meeting on Monday evening, West Hollywood City Council opted to recommend to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce that the star should be removed.

“West Hollywood City council unanimously passes resolution asking the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to remove the Donald Trump star on Hollywood Walk of Fame,” said West Hollywood mayor John Duran on Twitter, announcing the decision.

However, the chamber has previously said it would never remove a star from the famous walk, arguing they represent the history of the entertainment industry in America.

It has refused to pull up slabs celebrating actor Kevin Spacey and comedian Bill Cosby, who have both been exposed during the Hollywood sexual harassment scandal.

Papers produced by council staff on the matter said a number of “disturbing” instances of Mr Trump’s behaviour towards women had emerged during and after the 2016 presidential election campaign.

It went on to list several other examples of the president’s behaviour the council found objectionable, including separation of children from their parents at the Mexico border and withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement.

“Having a ‘star’ on the Walk of Fame is a privilege that is highly sought after by those in the entertainment industry,” the report said.

“Allowing Mr Trump to continue to have a star in light of his behaviour towards women, particularly in the #timesup and #metoo movements, should not be acceptable in the Hollywood and entertainment industry communities.”

The star, one of more than 2,600 placed along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street, was granted to Mr Trump in recognition of his work with the Miss Universe Pageant, but he was by the time of its installation also staring in hit reality show The Apprentice.

On Monday, 24-year-old Austin Mikel Clay was charged with vandalising the star last month and could face up to three years behind bars if found guilty.

The marker has become something of a battleground for Mr Trump’s supporters and opponents during his presidency, coming under attack multiple times.

In October 2016, a man was filmed hitting the star with a sledgehammer, while it has also been spray-painted and spat on.

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