Donald Trump baby blimp re-raised by London museum in an attempt to preserve it for years to come | UK news

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The Donald Trump baby blimp has been re-raised by a London museum as it tries to find its “final resting place”.

The huge inflatable depicting the former US president in a diaper and holding a mobile phone underwent a test inflation by the Museum of London to check if it is structurally sound, how long it holds air and to make any minor repairs.

It last reached the skies above Parliament Square during protests over Mr Trump’s visit to the UK in June 2019.

The balloon was gifted to the Museum of London in January 2021, and the institution hopes it will be on display at its new home in West Smithfield, which is scheduled to open in 2026.

“It’s always a challenge to preserve things that are meant to be short-lived like the Trump blimp,” said a spokesman from the Museum of London.

“It was made to fly over Parliament Square during then-president Trump’s visit to London in 2019 – a quick, flexible and visible icon, compared to the permanent statues in Parliament Square which are made from more durable materials.

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“We worked with scientists at University College London and the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, to study the composition of the plastic … The blimp is made from PVC material, it is soft and flexible and very thin, like a giant beach ball.

“Plastics age and degrade in unpredictable ways, so this will help us establish how we can best preserve them over the long term as part of our collection.”

Inflation is the final test as the balloon joins other pieces in the museum’s protest collection, including items related to the suffrage movement, and banners, flags and placards from the protests for easier accessible public transport.

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