Outside the TCL Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard sits a slab of terrazzo and brass that has become one of the most attacked pieces of sidewalk in America. Donald Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame has been smashed with a pickax, split open with a sledgehammer, tagged with spray paint and Sharpie, plastered in stickers, and even topped with a golden toilet since it was placed there in 2007 for his work on The Apprentice.
The star's troubles are not new, but they have been persistent enough to make it a recurring flashpoint in Los Angeles, according to Spectrum News. Visitors passing by react in wildly different ways — some pose for photos beside it, while others stomp on it outright, the outlet reports. The vandalism reportedly began during Trump's first term in office and has continued in waves ever since, tracking almost perfectly with his time in the national spotlight.
The most dramatic single incident came in October 2016, when a man dressed as a maintenance worker used a pickax to pry the star's plaque out of the ground, leaving scars on the sidewalk that are still visible. That man, later identified as James Otis, reportedly planned to auction the plaque and give the proceeds to women who had accused Trump of sexual assault — allegations Trump has denied. Otis pleaded no contest to felony vandalism in February 2017, and according to CBS News, he was sentenced to three years of probation, 20 days of community labor, and an order to pay $4,400 in damages and legal fees.
A Star That Keeps Getting Rebuilt
The star was replaced after that 2016 sledgehammer attack, only to be targeted again. In July 2018, 24-year-old Austin Clay destroyed it a second time with a pickax. Clay pleaded no contest to felony vandalism that November, and per the Los Angeles Times, he received three years of probation, 20 days of community service, mandatory psychological counseling, and a $9,404.46 restitution order paid to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
Under California's Penal Code, property damage of $400 or more can be charged as a felony, carrying up to three years in prison and fines as high as $10,000 — or up to $50,000 if the damage tops $10,000, according to legal reference site FindLaw. Spectrum News notes that vandalizing a Walk of Fame star can result in felony charges under that same statute, and that the Walk of Fame itself is a registered historic landmark with the state of California. The Cultural Heritage Board of the City of Los Angeles made that designation official in July 1978, naming the attraction Historic-Cultural Monument #194, according to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
Why the Star Can Never Be Taken Down
Even as attacks piled up, local government tried a different approach. In August 2018, the West Hollywood City Council unanimously passed a resolution urging the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and the City of Los Angeles to permanently remove Trump's star, citing his policies and his treatment of women, as reported by CBS News. The Chamber refused. In a statement that same July, it reaffirmed that it has never removed a star from the Walk of Fame, because stars are considered part of the landmark's permanent “historic fabric” and cannot be revoked over political controversy or public backlash.
That policy has held firm across other scandals, too. In May 2024, the Chamber reiterated that it lacks the legal authority to remove stars after the public demanded Sean “Diddy” Combs' star be taken down amid multiple civil lawsuits alleging sexual assault, according to WBLS. Bill Cosby's star was graffitied with the words “serial rapist” in 2018 following his criminal conviction for aggravated indecent assault, and it, too, remains in place. Trump's star has an unknown nominator and unknown payer, Spectrum News reports, and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is the entity responsible for selecting stars for induction as well as for the daily power washing and cleaning that keeps all 2,854 stars along the 1.3-mile attraction presentable.
Historian: Protest Draws Global Attention
Historian Marc Wanamaker told Spectrum News that people use the Walk of Fame to protest precisely because it guarantees immediate international attention, and he suggested that anti-Trump protests may eventually shift to another star once Trump leaves office. Author Chris Epting offered a related theory, telling the outlet that social media has added a performative element to Walk of Fame vandalism that didn't exist before, and that Trump's constant presence in the news — as president, every single day — probably fuels the continued attacks.
Not everyone who stops at the star is destructive, but plenty are vocal. Adriana Rincon told Spectrum News that Trump is the worst president, while Landon Kissell said the star represents how many Americans and people around the world feel about Trump. Los Angeles police and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce responded to the repeated destruction by installing 24-hour security around the star in 2016, including physical barricades, continuous patrols, and a dedicated security camera trained directly on the monument, according to KTVU FOX 2.
Not the Only Star Under Attack
Trump's star is the most frequently targeted, but it is far from alone in the Walk of Fame's long history of vandalism. Gal Gadot's star was defaced with anti-Israel slurs in permanent marker in 2025, Spectrum News reports, while Sharon Stone's and Ashley Olsen's stars were tagged with the phrase “fur hag” by animal rights activists back in 2009. Even Charlie Chaplin's star was vandalized and chipped before its formal unveiling in 1972, suggesting the attraction has drawn defacement of one kind or another since nearly its inception.
Protest at Trump's star hasn't always been destructive. Los Angeles street artist Plastic Jesus built a six-inch concrete border wall complete with razor wire, “Keep Out” signs, and American flags around the star in July 2016, the day Trump secured the Republican presidential nomination, according to The Guardian. Comedian George Lopez staged a viral prank in July 2018, using a water bottle to simulate urinating on the star's pavement, a stunt that Snopes reported generated widespread internet commentary at the time. Trump star defacements of every kind, Spectrum News notes, have been documented across Reddit, Quora, Facebook and X for years.
The Business Behind the Stars
Getting a star on the Walk of Fame isn't cheap, and it isn't automatic. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce charges $85,000 to sponsor a star, a fee that Spectrum News reports covers creation, installation, the induction ceremony, and lifetime maintenance. That draws roughly 10 million visitors to the Walk of Fame each year, all walking the same stretch of Hollywood Boulevard where Trump's star sits directly in front of the TCL Chinese Theatre — a location that guarantees foot traffic, cameras, and, evidently, no shortage of people willing to take a swing at it.
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