Billboard showing Trump with 'dollar swastikas' stirs outrage
An anti-Trump billboard in the US state of Arizona is raising the eyebrows and ire of some local residents due to its stark allusion to Nazism and nuclear war.
The large ad emblazoned with an image of President Donald Trump flanked by two mushroom clouds and dollar symbols meant to look like swastikas was made by artist Karen Fiorito.
On the back of the billboard in Phoenix is a subtler poster showing five hands of different colour using American Sign Language to spell out the word "unity".
Since the work showing the "dollar swastikas" went up Friday it has divided many local opinions.
"I think this is the greatest thing that I've seen in a long time," Mike Bolenbach told Fox 29.
"I think everything Donald Trump is doing is destroying America from the inside."
Nearby resident Jeff Whiteman had completely different point of view.
"Take it to your house," he told the broadcaster.
"I live right here, I have to wake up to this every day. Disrespectful."
Fiorito said ultimately the work came down to her right to freedom of speech and expression, although she knew it would be divisive.
"Still awaiting the backlash, death threats and the like," she wrote on Facebook.
The artist told Fox 29 there was "a lot of tension right now in the air and I'm trying to express that for a lot of people who feel they don't have a voice right now".
The two leading comments on the post came down on both sides of the issue, with the top comment stating, "It's astounding that so many are offended by a SYMBOL of something but not offended by a minimum of 3 avowed white supremacists right next to #45, banning people for their religion, alleged ties with dictators, homophobic policy changes, Jewish cemetery defacement and white on Muslim attacks."
The second most popular comment went the other way, staying "You are a sick, disgusting person to compare President Trump to anything like this. What is wrong with you?? You need some SERIOUS mental health help!"
Other commenters suggested the billboard trivialises the Jewish Holocaust and Nazi Germany.
Maricopa County in Arizona, where the billboard was erected, pulled the highest number of Trump votes of any county in the US.
The fourth largest county in the US, Trump beat Hillary Clinton there in the November election by more than 711,000 votes.
