June 4, 2019

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 CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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