Donald Trump baby blimp re-inflated by museum conservators

The blimp has been re-inflated as part of conservation work by the Museum of London

The Donald Trump 'baby blimp' has been re-inflated as part of conservation work by the Museum of London.

The 6m-high (20ft) inflatable was flown over Parliament Square in London during protests over the former US president's state visit to the UK in June 2019.

Specialists have inflated it at a specialist firm in Chelmsford to check for any needed repairs.

The museum hopes to put it on display at its new home in West Smithfield, which opens in 2026.

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The blimp was donated to the museum in January 2021 and the test inflation is the final step to help the museum decide how it will be displayed.

The balloon depicts Mr Trump as a baby wearing a nappy and holding a mobile phone.

The blimp was an eye-catching part of the protests against Mr Trump's state visit in 2019

It was also used in protests in Ireland in 2019 - but was banned from being flown above the then-president's golf course in Turnberry, Scotland.

The Museum of London said it was "a challenge" to preserve the blimp, given that it was made to be "short-lived".

"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," a spokesperson from the Museum of London said.

"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 museum called the balloon an "extraordinary and imaginative idea", which reflected how Londoners use satire, when it acquired it in 2021.

The balloon will be displayed as part of the museum's protest collection, along with objects related to the suffrage movement and banners from protests for more accessible public transport.

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