Legacy-building moments meant to highlight accomplishments tied to Donald Trump and Melania Trump have instead drawn an unexpected backlash.
Moments meant to cement a sense of legacy for the president and first lady have flipped entirely. Instead of signaling achievement, both became magnets for vandalism — with displays meant to project success quickly turning into public punchlines.
This January, a casual photo taken on the Hollywood Walk of Fame captured the star belonging to Trump defaced with the words “terrorist, pedophile, traitor, and tyrant.” First shared on Reddit, the image almost immediately went viral, reflecting the intense public discourse surrounding the president.
“It caught me off-guard,” Chris told Newsweek. “It was the remarks written about Trump that caused me to take the picture. I thought it was interesting and also kind of funny seeing all of that written over his star.”
He said the scene felt surreal, adding that it looked like the square had already been through several rounds of attention.
“From what I could tell, there was a scrubbed-off drawing,” Chris said. “And a faded out ‘DIE’ at the bottom.”
Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame pic.twitter.com/QsjioIXYzL
— Molly Ploofkins (@Mollyploofkins) January 14, 2026
Chris said he chose to take the photo not because he expected it to go viral, but because it captured something unique about the moment. He added that the defacement didn’t strike him as random.
“I think the reason behind the defacing is really obvious, with all the stuff about ICE, Venezuela, [Jeffrey] Epstein, and past charges circulating,” he told the outlet, pointing to ongoing controversies.
The star had not been cleaned as of Friday, Jan. 16, as others have allegedly filmed the vandalized star in a TikTok video. The reaction online was swift. The Reddit post amassed more than 126,000 upvotes as users turned the comment section into its own spectacle.
“Surprised no one has taken a hammer and chisel to it,” one user wrote.
Another added, “Now it looks right.”
“I wonder who pays to replace it?” one asked, while another declared, “He shouldn’t have a star at all.”
One commenter reminded others, “You literally have to pay for the star,” suggesting that this honor is one that Trump did not earn, but that his money and power secured for him.
Melania should also be marking a milestone of her own with the upcoming release of her documentary. Serving as the directorial debut for her company, Muse Films, the film will show moments leading up to the 2025 presidential inauguration, including behind-the-scenes access to the first lady’s preparations.
Instead, photos of vandalized versions of her movie poster began circulating online earlier this week, showing defaced billboards and bus stops across Los Angeles and in several other cities. In some images, a large X and the word “b–th” were scrawled across Melania’s face, while others were plastered with crude allegations aimed at her husband.
The altered posters spread quickly online, turning what was meant to be a polished promotional rollout into another viral spectacle — one driven less by curiosity about the project itself and more by the backlash surrounding the name attached to it.
” …People don’t seem to be fans. Low ticket sales. Posters defaced. Hoards of negativity reviews. Would you pay to see this stuff?” one person wrote on X.
Another joked on Instagram, “And by vandalism I mean enhancement.” A third person noted, “No one will see this movie … it will flop.”
“Wtf did they think was going to happen,” a fourth person said. While someone else added, “How embarrassing.”
Melania Trump released a trailer for her documentary, MELANIA.
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) December 17, 2025
Will you watch it? pic.twitter.com/qh9IkQlnhN
As dramatic as both defacements appear, it’s not their first time battling vandalism, especially Trump, whose star has been targeted multiple times.
As dramatic as the latest defacements look, it’s familiar territory — especially for Donald Trump, whose Hollywood Walk of Fame star has been a repeat target for years. It was smashed with a sledgehammer during the 2016 campaign, destroyed again with a pickaxe in 2018 and later replaced, then vandalized in October 2020, according to The Guardian, just hours after Trump announced that he and the first lady had contracted COVID-19.
That same year, his star was also covered with Black Lives Matter slogans, and at one point one artist even installed a miniature border wall around it in protest of his immigration policies.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has stated that vandalized stars are repaired or replaced by the Hollywood Historic Trust, the nonprofit responsible for maintaining the landmark, and has urged critics to express political anger without damaging public property.
As dramatic as the latest defacements may seem, they fit a longer pattern. Last year, during the beginning of his second presidency, Trump’s name was spray-painted on other public places. Likewise, a wax statue of the president on display at Madame Tussaud’s Waxworks in San Antonio, Texas, was temporarily moved after random people would walk up and punch it in the face, underscoring how often symbols tied to the Trumps become lightning rods rather than tributes.
People just can’t seem to help themselves.
