The Trump Sign Is Back — But a Petition Has Begun to Banish It
Sign or campaign poster?
By Carol Tannenhauser
The Upper West Side is a neighborhood of never-ending sagas. The latest involves the Donald J. Trump West Side Highway beautification sign.
On Thanksgiving, WSR reported that the sign had disappeared, to the delight of several tipsters. The NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) explained that it had been vandalized and would be restored. One week later, it was.
“We just cringed as we saw the sign reinstalled on the West Side Highway coming into the 79th Street south exit!” the original tipster informed us.
But Richard Robbins, a longtime Upper West Sider, doesn’t think the story should end there.
This @westsiderag article inspired me to start a petition calling for @NYC_DOT to remove the Trump sign from the West Side Highway, as it violates DOT’s “no candidates” policy. https://t.co/IRlcLa6aK3 https://t.co/MTiF8iXLWO
— Richard Robbins (@rich1) November 26, 2020
According to the petition, “NYC DOT’s own policy as per its website is that ‘Highways can be adopted by individuals, companies, or organizations (but not political candidates and campaigns).’ This sign should have been removed in 2015 and, according to DOT’s policy should not be in place now, as Trump has stated an intention to run again in 2024.”
The DOT disagreed. “It is paid for by the [Trump] organization, not any personal/political entity,” a spokesperson emailed WSR. “The sign is a representation of the organization who has a valid sponsor agreement with the provider that maintains this portion of the highway.”
“There are two issues with their statement,” Robbins responded. “(1) the sign says Donald J. Trump, not the Trump Organization. (2) Donald J. Trump IS the Trump Organization. The two are inseparable. Trump is the principal (if not sole) owner. The company is completely associated with him.
“I decided to do this because, regardless of Trump’s politics and/or popularity (or lack thereof) on the Upper West Side, it is important for DOT to adhere to its policies and this sign appears to be in clear violation of DOT’s policy…If New York City doesn’t want to become an ‘anarchist jurisdiction’ (as Trump called us), it is important that DOT follow its own policy.”
WSR presented Robbin’s arguments to the DOT, but they have not yet responded.
The petition has 25 signatures as of this writing. Click here if you would like to read it.
Hello CANCEL tribe people.
You really think that by removing this sign, as well as the signs on the buildings that bore his name, you’ll be getting rid of him?
Really?
Your relentless obsession with Trump does you no good. He’s out of the White House, that’s what you wanted, correct?
Now you want to eradicate anything that has to do with him, his name, his image…you realize what you are doing – to yourselves?
It’s called bad karma. Your karma is bad, negative, destructive and defeatist.
He’s out, come 1.20.21, hold that dear to your heart and stop poisoning yourselves with the hate.
People want nothing to do with him. Go do something useful with your life instead of hating on people with common sense.
42 percent of NY voted for Trump so you can’t say everybody
No, he he didn’t. Maybe in your household he did.
In NYC trump got 22.6% of the vote. Not 42.
And to woody – I am not a hater. A realist is more like it. You join the cancel society – you will get cancelled yourself, eventually.
He’s attempting a slow moving coup poisoning the minds of his followers which will leave the country further divided for years. We’re not rid of him.
This sign is predictably the ugliest sign on the entire parkway.
Obviously there was no attempt to make it graphically attractive. Just crude, over-sized lettering, screaming trump’s name. This sign has nothing to do with “beautifying” the UWS and is there solely to promote trump personally for political reasons.
That puts this sign in violation of DOT policies and it should be removed.
P.s the only person trying to “cancel culture” is trump.
We who support removing this sign are simply expecting that DOT policies be enforced.
It’s a highway not a parkway, the Taconic, Sprain Brook, Jackie Robinson and Bronx river are parkways
Thanks for posting the link. Just signed. Not nearly enough just to get rid of this sign, but it’s a very good start. Thank you, Mr. Robbins, for your leadership on this issue.
Oh the horror. How will I sleep tonight
By the way if you mention that you moved out of UWS during this pandemic for any reason UWSR will censor you and delete your comment immediately.
Go ahead guys, I moved out of the UWS for the suburbs in September. Nothing I am saying now is offensive in anyway. Go ahead and delete it again.
Congratulations, your comment was published. But what was the point?
I am critical of a beloved UWS politician Gale Brewer, and my comments get published.
Once again, clearly biased reporting by WSR. What a disappointment.
Agree with you.
The sight of the trump family, in jumpsuits, walking down the shoulder of the highway picking up garbage….
Hahaha – Paul that would be a real hoot!
It was jury fraud. They actually voted to exonerate, but millions of illegal jurors voted fraudulently to convict. He was actually found not guilty by a landslide.
Thanks, Paul. Such a lovely image!
You will be very sorry when the fraud is all exposed and the dems will be on the highway in jumpsuits instead!
I wont hold my breathe. Sorry, there has yet to be even a single point of real evidence beyond “I heard from someone else that they heard from someone else…” Why do you thi k there hasnt been a single legal victory.for Trump relating to fraud? Not one. Even by judges he appointed himself.
Jill, I feel bad for you and anyone else who subscribes to the election fraud theory. You dont have the freedom of thought to realize you are being used and lied to. Either that, or you lack the self-respect to be able to admit it. I am really sorry for you, but the fact is, 1+1 will always equal 2, even if Trump says otherwise.
Thanks for that visual. It truly did make me laugh out loud. That I’d just prefer the jumpsuits were orange.
Great leadership Rich. Thank you.
Just a thought- if your driving on the highway and paying attention to driving you shouldn’t even notice the sign. As long as the roadside is being cleaned up, I don’t care what entity is paying for it. Maybe a petition should be started to request DOT to make those signs smaller so they don’t cause so much distraction. It is a beautiful drive.
I have lived in Manhattan for years and I voted for President Trump twice and will vote for him again if he runs in 2024. In the meantime, NYS and NYC will continue to deteriorate under total control by liberal Democrats and Socialists. DeBlasio is a horror show. Cuomo is Trump lite. The school Chancellor is a racist. Nadler is career bureaucrat…to name a few.
Does the petition collect money to replace the funds that will have to be and should be returned to Trump or Trump Organization for abrogating the contract? Or is his money good and just his name must be blotted out? Or are the signers perfectly happy with garbage on the side of the road as long as he who should not be named is not named?
That’s not how this modern day “cancel culture” works.
Cancel first, ask questions later…..or more than likely, never…
I don’t like Trump, but this is the most petty thing I’ve seen in 2020.
It’s definitely up there.
Maybe the person fashioning themselves as a street artist of note by writing “Done” everywhere on anything might do so on this ridiculous sign. Instead of ire, there would be total agreement. Done, done done with DJT.
As much as I have no use for anything “Trump,” this boils down to two issues:
(1) If the money is being provided by the organization and not by Trump himself, the sign should read “The Trump Organization,” which is its legal name.
(2) In either case, he is not a candidate until he so declares.
Diaper Don is gone 👶
Ok people, so which is it… Is he a politician bound by the constraints of adopt a highway policy or is he a defeated demagogue and not bound by these constraints? It can’t be both… Or does CNN have you convinced that you are so emotionally shattered by this man that psychosis has surplanted basic rationality?
All politics is ultimately local. It’s not right that Gale Brewer is opposed to Trump’s Muslim ban, yet tells City & State that James Oddo, who supported police profiling Muslims, is a first rate human being who should be deputy mayor after 2021. Why aren’t Seth Rosen, Sara Lind and the other CD 6 candidates talking about this?
I’m no Trump supporter, but come on people, GROW UP!
I mean it is the principle of the thing. DOT is breaking its own rules. Signed.
As though the signs touting Governor Cuomo on the highway–and the naming of the Tappen Zee after his father in a virtually secret session of the NYS Legislature are not political! My favorite though is the banner affixed to the schoolyard on West 77th Street that thanks Gale Brewer or some politico for supporting the school–how about thanking the taxpayers who paid for it!
Where can I sign to support this petition.
This sign clearly violates DOT policies and must be removed.
As an embarrassed Republican, the signage makes me I’ll. Support the Lincoln Project, for those humiliated fellow Republicans and let’s heal and try to correct from within. We all make mistakes. This was implimented by an entity, not a person.
Don’t use the highway!
It’s over focus on something constructive. There are lots of larger problems nyc has.
I think that if this is a priority for the upper west side then life us pretty good right now. How about a few more homeless ahelters
I’ve lived in NYC since 1980 and watch trump lie and steal from anyone dumb enough to let him. While bragging about all the “Russian money” he’s got.
Trump is a morally bankrupt conman, drunk on his own ego. The damage he has done and continues to do to the fabric of our society, our country and democracy is breathtaking.
And what did he do in 4 years except undermine the US internationally, undermine our elections and flame racism and hate across the country? Did he enact one single policy? Where’s the “big beautiful” infrastructure plan? The healthcare plan? The COVID plan? There isre no plans of course, it’s all been one big lie.
Putin definitely got his money’s worth with this guy. Our enemies around the world are grinning ear to ear.
I can’t wait for this pathetic, small minded man is out of office.