‘Baby Trump’ balloon appears in Tulsa ahead of rally, raises more than $10K to restore historic church on Black Wall Street

A giant inflatable baby caricaturing President Trump was on display on a rooftop in Tulsa, Okla., on Saturday ahead of his evening rally, with “Baby Trump” raising more than $10,000 to restore a historic church on Black Wall Street.

Kajeer Yar, who is a partial owner of The Shrine venue the balloon sits atop, directed those seeking to donate toward his cause to send funds to the historic Vernon AME Church’s restoration effort, Tulsa World reported.

The church was founded in 1905 and is the “only standing black-owned structure from the Historic Black Wall Street era and the only edifice that remains from the worst race massacre in American History,” according to its website.

The restoration cause is seeking to raise $1 million toward renovating the church and has already raised $25,000 as of Saturday afternoon.

Yar added that the balloon spurred nearly $10,000 in online donations since he posted it on social media as well as around $1,500 in cash donations.

Near the balloon are two banners that read “Baby Trump” and “Bunker Baby,” a callback to the president’s retreat to the White House bunker during recent protests in Washington.

Yar said the banners and inflatable are examples of political satire, adding that a group of concerned Tulsans respect the presidential office but aimed to depict fallacies of partisanship and Trump.

“The President of the United States has governed solely to his base and not to those who aren’t necessarily predisposed to his points of view on issues such as immigration, social justice, and, frankly, wealth distribution,” Yar said. “We think the balloon calls to mind the childish nature of governance through partisanship.

According to a CBS affiliate in Tulsa, a second Baby Trump balloon has appeared near the first one.

WORLD RECORD: At 2PM, a second “Baby Trump” balloon is up. According to organizers, Tulsa is now the first city to have two balloons in the air at the same time. @NewsOn6 pic.twitter.com/wsiSNUiLT4

— Amelia Mugavero (@AmeliaMugavero) June 20, 2020

The inflatable baby caricature of the president is not a new entity for Trump events and has even been spotted in the U.K. ahead of the president’s past arrivals.