Artists Building Trump’s Border Wall Send Bill to Mexico
Artists David Gleeson and Mary Mihelic decided it was time to deliver on one of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s promises to America—the building of a border wall between the United States and Mexico to be paid for by Mexico, Melena Ryzik of the New York Times reports.
The two artists, who work under the name of t. Rutt, erected a structure made of fifty-two cinder blocks. The beginning of the notorious border wall is located twenty yards from the fence dividing the two countries in Jacumba Hot Springs, California, seventy miles southeast of San Diego. They also thought it was time to test Trump’s belief that Mexico would pay for such an architectural feat. They mailed an itemized bill for $14,635.42 to the president of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto, and wrote Trump Tower as the return address.
They were given permission to use the land where the structure was erected by real-estate developer, property owner, and Republican David Landman, who admitted that he will probably vote for Trump in the upcoming election. When asked why he would let the artists create an anti-Trump artwork on his land he said, “I don’t know, it just sounds like the right thing to do at the time.”
The wall, which boasts a large campaign poster for Trump and is adorned with wilting fruit, flowers, cleaning items, and hardware, is meant to represent the impact ending immigration from Mexico would have on agriculture, industry, and everyday life. “Art has to be present more in these disruptive and contentious moments,” Gleeson said. Mihelic hopes that other artists will add to the project.
Gleeson and Mihelic said that Trump keeps inspiring them to create. The pair purchased his former campaign bus in order to drive to Trump rallies, where they park and invite people to view their revision of Trump’s signature slogan, “Make America Great Again.” The bus now reads “Make Fruit Punch Great Again.” Mihelic said, “Never did we think we’d be doing this until November, never. As long as he’s in, we’re in.”