Donald Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, installed in January 2007 for his work on The Apprentice, has become one of the most repeatedly vandalized spots on the sidewalk — smashed with pickaxes, covered in graffiti, boxed in by protest art, and the subject of years of unresolved debate over whether it can be removed at all. It is still there, at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard, because no agency has claimed the authority to take it out.1Hollywood Walk of Fame. Donald Trump
How Trump Got the Star
Trump received the 2,327th star on the Walk of Fame on January 16, 2007, in the television category, primarily for his role as producer and host of NBC’s The Apprentice. His wife Melania, his children Barron, Donald Jr., and Tiffany, and guests including Jay Leno, Larry King, and Apprentice producer Mark Burnett attended the dedication on Hollywood Boulevard.2East Bay Times. Trump Gets Star on Hollywood Fame Walk Trump called the star his “favorite piece of real estate.”3CBS News. Trump Gets Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Attacks on the Star
Defacement began during the 2016 campaign. By early that year the star had already been tagged with a swastika and a mute icon and smeared with dog feces.4ABC7 News. Donald Trump’s Walk of Fame Star Targeted by Vandals Three serious destructions followed.
October 2016: The First Pickaxe
On October 26, 2016, James Lambert Otis, then 52, used a pickaxe and sledgehammer to shatter the star and pry off its brass medallion. He was charged with felony vandalism, pleaded no contest, and in January 2017 was sentenced to three years of probation, 20 days of community service, and $4,400 in restitution.5ABC News. Suspect Charged With Vandalism of Donald Trump’s Hollywood Walk of Fame Star6CBS News Los Angeles. Donald Trump Star Walk of Fame Vandalized The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce estimated repairs at between $3,000 and $10,000, most of it labor.7ABC News. Donald Trump’s Defaced Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Repaired
July 2018: Nearly Destroyed
On the night of July 25, 2018, Austin Mikel Clay, a 24-year-old from Glendale, concealed a pickaxe in a guitar case and nearly obliterated the star.8CBC. Trump Star Vandalized He turned himself in to police, was charged with felony vandalism, launched a GoFundMe for his legal fees, and posted a YouTube video explaining his motives. Otis publicly offered to help with Clay’s defense.9The Mirror. Man Charged After Donald Trump’s Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Destroyed Clay pleaded no contest in November 2018 and received one day in jail, three years of probation, 20 days of community labor, counseling, and $9,404.46 in restitution to the Chamber.10The Hollywood Reporter. Trump Walk of Fame Star Vandal Sentenced
October 2020: Otis Again
In January 2021, Otis was charged with two more felony vandalism counts for incidents on October 2 and October 26, 2020. He allegedly used a pickaxe again, with the October 2 attack alone causing more than $3,000 in damage.11NBC Los Angeles. Man Charged With Vandalizing Former President Trump’s Star on Walk of Fame
After the 2016 destruction, the Chamber set barricades, the LAPD put two officers on round-the-clock foot patrol with a squad car nearby, and a permanent security camera went up.12Fox 5 NY. Trump’s Walk of Fame Star Gets 24-Hour Security Before the 2020 election, the Chamber covered the star with plywood and guardrails in anticipation of unrest.13Variety. Trump Hollywood Star Election
Protests and Street Art
The star also drew less destructive forms of protest. On July 19, 2016, the day Trump was formally nominated as the Republican presidential candidate, the Los Angeles-based street artist Plastic Jesus built a six-inch concrete wall around it, complete with razor wire, tiny American flags, and “Keep Out” signs, mocking Trump’s proposed border wall. It drew crowds before being removed by the next morning.14The Guardian. Donald Trump Border Wall Hollywood In September 2018, the same artist installed wooden prison bars over the star using industrial tape to avoid permanent damage; the piece, titled Trump December 2020, was gone by the end of the day. Other installations included a golden toilet labeled “Take a Trump” in May 2017, pride stickers at a June 2017 march, and a Christmas Day 2016 “die-in.” In August 2018, a self-described conservative artist calling themselves “The Faction” blanketed the Walk of Fame with sticker replicas of Trump’s star, pledging an endless supply if the original were removed.15Los Angeles Times. Street Art Installations at Trump Star
Why Hasn’t the Star Been Removed?
Calls to pull Trump’s star have come from residents, activists, and at least one city council. None has produced action, because no one with authority has agreed to use it.
The West Hollywood Resolution
On August 6, 2018, the West Hollywood City Council unanimously passed a resolution urging the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and the City of Los Angeles to remove the star, citing Trump’s “treatment of women” and the “separation of immigrant families at the border.”16The Guardian. Trump Star Walk of Fame West Hollywood Vote The gesture was symbolic. The star sits inside the City of Los Angeles, not West Hollywood, so the council had no jurisdiction, and nothing came of the resolution.17Los Angeles Times. Donald Trump Hollywood Walk of Fame Star
Petitions
A 2016 petition drew nearly 16,000 signatures.18NBC News. Petition Calls for Trump’s Hollywood Walk of Fame Star to Be Removed A later effort launched in 2020 by resident Andrew Rudick collected more than 4,200 signatures over three years. Rudick also lobbied the Los Angeles City Council directly and submitted a replacement proposal, but as of late 2023 had received no response.19The Hill. Calls to Remove Trump’s Star From Hollywood Walk of Fame Draw Mixed Reactions
The Jurisdictional Stalemate
The Los Angeles City Council, which does hold land use authority over the Walk of Fame, has never formally taken up the question. Councilmember Bob Blumenfield said flatly, “I don’t know whose responsibility it is.” Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez, whose district contains the star, said his office was “looking into where the authority lies, what the legal issues may be, and what a process for it might look like,” but had not introduced a motion as of late 2023.17Los Angeles Times. Donald Trump Hollywood Walk of Fame Star20Spectrum News. Petitioners Seek to Remove Donald Trump Star From Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Chamber says the power is not its to use. Ana Martinez, the Chamber’s vice president of media and talent relations, told the Los Angeles Times that it is authorized to “administer Walk of Fame ceremonies, select and honor the recipient, order the fabrication of the star and place the star in the sidewalk,” but “does not have the authority from any jurisdiction to permanently remove a star.” The California Office of Historic Preservation has said that because the Walk of Fame is within Los Angeles, “all land use authority resides with the City of Los Angeles.”17Los Angeles Times. Donald Trump Hollywood Walk of Fame Star The result is a loop. The City points to the Chamber. The Chamber points to the City. No process exists.
The Chamber’s Policy and the Precedent Problem
The Chamber has consistently said no star has ever been removed. The Walk of Fame was designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 194 in 1978, and once a star is installed it is “considered a part of the historic fabric of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.”21Hollywood Walk of Fame. History22BBC. Trump Star on Walk of Fame The late Johnny Grant, former chairman of the Walk of Fame Committee, laid out the reasoning: “Stars are awarded for professional achievement to the world of entertainment and contributions to the community. A celebrity’s politics, philosophy, irrational behavior, or outrageous remarks have never been cause to remove a Walk of Fame star.”23NBC News. Bill Cosby’s Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Staying Put The Chamber has also warned that removing Trump’s star could create a “vandal’s veto,” rewarding anyone willing to attack a star they disliked.24Los Angeles Times. Walk of Fame Op-Ed
The same policy has kept other controversial stars in place, including Bill Cosby’s, which has remained since 1977 and survived his 2018 sexual assault conviction, along with those of Kevin Spacey, Brett Ratner, and country musician Spade Cooley, who was convicted of murdering his wife in 1961.25The Guardian. Hollywood Walk of Fame Dark History
Where Things Stand
Trump’s star remains at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard. It has been destroyed and rebuilt more than once, and the Chamber continues to repair it after each attack. No governmental body or private authority has moved to permanently remove it, no process for doing so has been established, and the jurisdictional question is still open.19The Hill. Calls to Remove Trump’s Star From Hollywood Walk of Fame Draw Mixed Reactions