Activists highlight Trump ties to foreign autocrats in hotel light display

Activists in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday used a light display projected onto the side of the Trump International Hotel to draw attention to President Trump’s ties to countries with autocratic leaders.

A projection highlighting the president’s various business ties to the Philippines’ Rodrigo Duterte, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, and Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Bin Salman was displayed on the side of the hotel Wednesday night, a display funded by activists at Global Witness.

{mosads}”As President of the US, Trump’s private businesses continue to make millions, whether through royalties from Trump-associated developments abroad or through foreign leaders and industry groups staying at his hotels in DC and New York, among other places. Trump has not fully separated himself from his business and remains the ultimate beneficiary of his companies,” the group wrote in a press release.

“Global Witness is projecting onto the Trump International Hotel in DC to shine a light on how Trump’s problematic foreign policy decisions are guided by his own economic interests. We’ve seen alarming cases where he praises autocratic leaders – like Putin or Duterte – or refuses to condemn regimes implicated in murders, such as in the case of Jamal Khashoggi and the Saudi Crown Prince’s involvement,” added the group’s communications director, Julie Anne Miranda-Brobeck.

Other images and video from Wednesday’s event showed messages such as “U.S. foreign policy bought and sold here” projected onto the hotel’s side.

We’re at the Trump International Hotel in DC calling out Trump for continuing to pursue his private business interes https://t.co/vWzCV8ue7y

— Global Witness (@Global_Witness) December 13, 2018

Trump has faced criticism for his statements in support of the three leaders, including in recent weeks following the slaying of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, a frequent critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.

His ties to Russia are also a target of the ongoing special counsel investigation into Russian election interference in 2016.

Left-leaning activists have frequently used light displays bearing anti-Trump messages in recent months, including a famous example last January when activists projected the word “shithole” onto the hotel’s side in response to Trump’s use of the term to describe Haiti and several African nations.

In March, other protesters displayed the phrase “It’s Stormy out” on the side of the hotel, a reference to Trump’s alleged affair and legal battles involving adult film star Stormy Daniels.