The controversial Donald Trump baby blimp will fly again during a test of its structure by the museum determined to preserve it for future generations.
The crowd-funded inflatable, depicting Trump screaming in a nappy, was last seen in the skies above Parliament Square during protests over Trump’s 2019 state visit.
Trump was not amused telling The Sun at the time: “I guess when they put out blimps to make me feel unwelcome, no reason for me to go to London.
“I used to love London as a city. I haven’t been there in a long time. But when they make you feel unwelcome, why would I stay there?”
Talk-show host Nigel Farage was incensed by Sadiq Khan’s decision to give airspace to the blimp, calling it the “biggest insult to a sitting US President ever”.
Speaking to the Standard, Trump blimp babysitter Anna Vickerstaff said the inflatable was put up because “we feel the level of state visit is unacceptable”.
“This is a man who is facilitating the rise of far-right politics and we’re here to say that’s not good enough. We’ve seen time and time again that Trump does not respond to facts,” she said.
The blimp itself was gifted to the Muesum of London in January 2021 and specialist manufacturers have inflated it to check if it is structurally sound, how long it holds air for, and to make any small repairs.
The test was also part of a longer process for the museum’s plan of long-term preservation and any future display for the blimp, with a hope that it will go on show at the museum’s new home in West Smithfield, which is due to open in 2026.
“It is always a challenge to preserve objects that are meant to be short-lived like the Trump blimp,” a spokesperson for the museum said.
“It was made to be flown over Parliament Square during the then-president Trump’s visit to London in 2019, a quick, flexible and visible icon, as opposed to the permanent statues in Parliament Square made from the much more durable materials.
“We have worked together with scientists at University College London and the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, to analyse the composition of the plastic … The blimp is made from PVC material, it is soft and flexible and very thin, much like a giant beach ball.
“Plastics age and break down in sometimes unexpected ways, so this will help us establish how we can best preserve it in the long-term as part of our collection.”
The apolitical museum has also been in touch with the owners of the Sadiq Khan blimp which was hastily created in response to Trump Baby.
The inflation is the final test as the balloon joins other pieces in the museum’s protest collection, including objects relating to the suffrage movement, and banners, flags and placards from protests for more accessible public transport.
