GoFundMe Campaign Seeks to Bring 'Trump Baby' Balloon to President's New Jersey Golf Club
(CBS Philly/CBS Detroit) — An activist has created a GoFundMe campaign to bring the "Trump Baby" balloon to President Donald Trump's golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Didier Jiménez-Castro created the "Fund To Bring Baby Trump To America" campaign on July 13, the same day that London's "Trump Baby" balloon made its debut at a protest.
Jiménez-Castro, who says the London balloon inspired him to act, currently works for a homeless shelter that helps families.
"Humor is a huge tool," Jiménez-Castro noted in regards to the ballon's ability to be an effective way to bring attention to important issues.
In one day, 230 people backed the GoFundMe campaign and helped it exceed its $4,500 goal by nearly $800.
Sixty percent of the donations were raised by women and Jiménez said he was "really proud of women for leading in this."
The Trump administration has been receiving immense backlash for how its handled the immigration policy that has allowed for the separation of parents and children that illegally enter the United States.
While Jiménez-Castro disagrees with Trump's policies like Social Security and immigration, he emphasizes that he isn't interested in being seen as anti-Trump.
"This is about doing some real activism," Jiménez-Castro explained.
Some of those issues were at the center of protests in Philadelphia in early July outside of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building.
Police and protesters clashed outside of the ICE building on July 3 and July 5. Multiple states, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, sued the Trump administration for separating immigrant families.
The balloon originally made news when London's Mayor Sadiq Khan approved of protesters to use the balloon during Trump's visit after 10,000 people signed a petition. A similar petition was created and backed by over 16,000 in Scotland for Trump's three-day tour of the United Kingdom.
Jiménez-Castro and other organizers hope that they will be able to fly the balloon at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster.
"We want to go on a tour. We will definitely bring [the balloon] to Central Park," he said.
It is not yet known when or if officials will allow the balloon to fly in Bedminster. However, Jiménez-Castro gave a rough timeline of three to four weeks before the manufacturer said it will arrive stateside.
"This project has united a lot of people," he said as he attributes teamwork to making the balloon come to the U.S. possible.
A CBS News poll found that Trump's approval rating has inched up to 42 percent in June — his highest rating in more than a year.
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