A climate activist was arrested Wednesday after vandalizing the presidential insignia inside Trump Tower in New York City, scrawling “USA” over the number “45” with green spray paint before unveiling a banner bearing the Extinction Rebellion logo and the phrase “game over.”
The protest unfolded in the public lobby of the iconic Manhattan skyscraper, where the man dropped to his knees in front of the defaced insignia and declared, “This is our country. This is our planet. You cannot ruin it without comment. They are ruining the planet for profit.”
The protester was quickly taken into custody by NYPD officers. According to Secret Service spokesperson James Byrne, “The US Secret Service is aware of an incident involving a person spray painting graffiti inside the public lobby of Trump Tower in New York City. There are no disruptions to protective operations.”
Video footage of the incident, shared by journalist Oliya Scootercaster, captured onlookers reacting with fury. “What a fcking piece of sht, bro,” one bystander said. Another added, “I hope they take you downstairs and beat your a**.”
In a follow-up statement, the protester framed the act as patriotic dissent, blaming both major U.S. political parties for climate inaction and accusing former President Donald Trump of serving corporate interests. “All American political parties are equally complicit,” he said. “Kamala Harris’ climate platform was fracked gas, much deadlier than regular.”
The incident came just one day after police responded to another disorderly individual reportedly on top of an “elevated surface” inside Trump Tower. Law enforcement did not confirm whether the two events were connected.
