CHICAGO — A Donald Trump billboard in West Town got the candidate some extra attention — but probably not the kind he wanted.
A large, white billboard declaring "VOTE TRUMP" was put up near Lake and Ogden the week before Trump's scheduled rally at the UIC Pavilion. The billboard gathered attention after people shared photos of it and encouraged artists to paint over the pro-Trump message.
"You know what needs to be done," wrote comedian El Chuyito in a post on Facebook. The post was shared nearly 2,000 times.
Someone took that message to heart, crossing out Trump's name and painting "VOTE 4 BERNIE!" over the original message.
Later, another message was painted on the billboard. It now reads "F--- TRUMP" in large, red letters, and it looks like there was at least one other layer of graffiti covered up by the latest paint job.
Variations on a theme. [Imgur]
READ MORE: Trump Protesters Plan UIC Rally Takeover: "Strength Will Lie in Numbers"
"The Trump Billboard didn't make it," a Reddit user posted with a photo of the vandalized billboard.
The billboard was later taken down due to the graffiti, said Mike McHugh, who runs the billboard leasing company Harvest Outdoor. It will probably be recycled, he said, and Harvest Outdoor is determining if the person who arranged for the first Trump billboard will want to put up a replacement.
The vandalism comes amid controversy over Trump's rally at the UIC Pavilion. More than 45,000 people have signed a petition asking UIC to cancel the event, and protesters are planning a "takeover" of the rally.
Calling all of Chicago artists!!! By Lake and Ogden. You know what needs to be done. LOL. I'll just leave this...
Posted by El Chuyito on Monday, March 7, 2016
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