West Hollywood: Trump’s not worthy of having a star on the Walk of Fame
West Hollywood badly wants to remove President Donald Trump’s star from the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
One problem: The star is not in West Hollywood.
Nonetheless, the City Council there unanimously approved a largely symbolic resolution Monday night urging that the president’s star be eliminated from the Walk of Fame, which stretches several blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street.
In passing the resolution, council members called on their counterparts in the city of Los Angeles, which manages the public sidewalk tourist attraction, and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which selects who receives a star, to remove Trump’s. His star, which he received in 2007, is currently roped off and covered after a man with a pickax destroyed it last month. It is expected to be repaired.
The City Council listed several reasons for such a removal. They
include a recording of Trump during an “Access Hollywood” interview in 2005 that captured him boasting about sexually assaulting women and how he could get away with “anything” with them because of his celebrity. They also include actions taken as president, including the now-reversed decision of separating children and parents under a “zero-tolerance” policy on border enforcement and the withdrawal of the United States from the Paris climate accord.
“Having a ‘star’ on the Walk of Fame is a privilege that is highly sought after by those in the entertainment industry,” the city of West Hollywood wrote in a report on Trump’s star. “Allowing Mr. Trump to continue to have a star in light of his behavior toward women, particularly in the #TimesUp and #MeToo movements, should not be acceptable in the Hollywood and entertainment industry communities.”
The president of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, Leron Gubler, said that the group’s executive committee would discuss West
Hollywood’s resolution but noted that the city lacks “jurisdiction over the Hollywood Walk of Fame.”
“As of now, there are no plans to remove any stars from the Hollywood Walk of Fame,” he said in a statement.
The chamber has resisted previous demands for stars to be removed, including that of Bill Cosby, saying that a star is part of “the historic fabric” of the site.
The White House did not respond to an email seeking comment.
Since the first stars were enshrined on the Walk of Fame in 1961, more than 2,500 celebrities in the entertainment industry have received the honor. The Chamber of Commerce receives about 200 applications annually for new stars but only about two dozen are awarded every year.
Trump’s star was unveiled in January 2007. The Chamber of Commerce cited his work as a producer on three beauty pageants, including Miss Universe, and his role on the reality show “The Apprentice.”