The star became a physical battleground for American political polarization in a way few other landmarks have. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce's refusal to remove any stars, combined with the repeated vandalism and repairs, created a Sisyphean loop that both sides of the political spectrum used to score points6.

West Hollywood's unanimous council vote to seek removal, while legally toothless, made international news and prompted heated debate about whether public monuments should reflect current moral standards6. The Chamber's position that "a celebrity's politics, philosophy, irrational behavior, or outrageous remarks have never been cause to remove a Walk of Fame star" became a frequently cited policy statement6.

The star also highlighted the contrast between digital and physical protest. While online memes about the star spread to millions, the physical acts of vandalism carried real legal consequences. Otis pleaded no contest to felony vandalism2, and Clay faced up to three years in prison6. The cost of repairs exceeded $20,000 by 20233.

George Lopez's fake urination on the star in July 2018 added a celebrity dimension to the ongoing saga2. The comedian used a small water bottle to simulate the act, and the video went viral as another entry in the star's long catalog of indignities.

The star's second major destruction came on July 25, 2018. Austin Mikel Clay, 24, arrived at Hollywood Boulevard at roughly 3:30 a.m. carrying a pickaxe concealed in a guitar case2. In a later interview with GQ, Clay said he'd been listening to Death Grips for energy and bought the pickaxe at a Home Depot in Glendale1. He destroyed the star completely, leaving nothing but a jagged hole in the sidewalk surrounded by chunks of concrete2.

Onlooker Patricia Cox, a Walgreens worker heading to her shift, told CBS Los Angeles she thought construction was happening: "I just seen a guy going to town on, I guess, the ground or whatever"2. Clay turned himself in at the Beverly Hills Police Department about an hour later2. He was charged with one felony count of vandalism6. During his police processing, officers found a small piece of the star's rubble in his shirt pocket, which Clay later told GQ he wished they hadn't discovered so he could have kept it as "a little souvenir"1.

Clay's arrest drew an unusual amount of attention. He claimed to have received a phone call from Robert De Niro after his release, though a De Niro spokesperson denied any association1. The Secret Service also visited his home three days later, though Clay said the agents "kind of thought it was funny" and one gave him a high five1. James Lambert Otis, the man who destroyed the star in 2016, told KCAL9 he was trying to raise bail money for Clay2.

Curious pedestrians collected pieces of the destroyed star as souvenirs, and someone added graffiti to the remains before covering them with a chin-up bar2. A Trump supporter named Gregg Donovan stood guard over the wreckage holding a Trump 2020 sign, telling reporters "this is the second time, something has to be done"2.

Within two weeks, Plastic Jesus struck again. On September 19, 2018, the artist installed metal prison bars over the newly repaired star, titling the piece *Trump December 2020*4. "There have been calls to jail Trump since the day he was elected, and today he was certainly put behind bars, or at least his now infamous star was caged," the artist wrote4. A Trump supporter tried to remove the bars but they held fast for several hours4.

On August 7, 2018, the West Hollywood City Council voted unanimously to seek the star's removal, citing Trump's "disturbing treatment of women and other actions that do not meet the shared values" of the city6. The vote was largely symbolic since the Walk of Fame falls under Hollywood Chamber of Commerce jurisdiction, not West Hollywood's6. Clay spoke at the council meeting, going over his allotted two minutes in a dramatic plea about seeing "this country being destroyed"1.

The Chamber held firm. President and CEO Leron Gubler stated: "The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a registered historic landmark. Once a star has been added to the Walk, it is considered a part of the historic fabric of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Because of this, we have never removed a star from the Walk"6. The Chamber pointed out it had never removed any star, including Bill Cosby's following his felony conviction, or musician Spade Cooley's despite his conviction for murdering his wife in 19616.

Pro-Trump forces pushed back on August 9 when the account @TheFaction1776 posted video of numerous Trump-branded stars placed along the Walk of Fame with the message: "Take down his star, and we will descend upon you with 30 fresh new stars. We are MAGA Legion"5. The post drew over 3,300 retweets5.

By 2023, the Los Angeles Times reported that the Hollywood Historic Trust had spent more than $20,000 repairing Trump's star across multiple incidents3. Plastic Jesus returned that year to arrange a toilet, bathtub, and stacks of fake documents around the star, referencing the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case3.

The vandalism didn't stop after Trump's return to office. In January 2025, a Reddit user posted a photo showing the star defaced with the words "terrorist, pedophile, traitor, tyrant," which was upvoted over 109,000 times on r/pics3. A TikTok video by Tracey Mello confirmed the words were still visible at least 24 hours later3. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and Hollywood Historic Trust were contacted for comment but the incident followed the same pattern as all previous ones: deface, document, repair, repeat3. Times Now later confirmed that some viral photos being shared as "recent" vandalism were actually recycled images from the 2016 and 2018 incidents8.