Despite a huge publicity campaign on social media for the Trump blimp, only a small crowd gathered to see it raised in Parliament Square
THE controversial Donald Trump baby blimp was deflated after just two hours in the air - before being blown up again and taken on the protest march through London.
The six-metre high cartoon was inflated outside the House of Commons after Sadiq Khan gave permission for the stunt.
Organisers - who included the wealthy grandson of a Labour peer - raised cash for the inflatable with a controversial crowd-funding scheme.
Despite a huge publicity campaign on social media for the project, only a small crowd gathered to see it raised.
After just two hours of flying - during which it was widely mocked for its small size - it was taken down and deflated.
But protesters blew the blimp back up and took it on the march through central London.
The inflatable had sparked a major row, with former Ukip leader Nigel Farage describing it as the "biggest insult to a sitting US President ever."
Despite the huge fuss, the blimp was only witnessed by a tiny gathering in Parliament Square - before it was packed away after being granted a two-hour licence by the London Mayor.
After briefly deflating it, protesters decided to blow it up again to take on the "Together Against Trump" march through the city.
Mr Trump had earlier dismissed the stunt in his explosive Brexit interview with The Sun, saying: "I guess when they put out blimps to make me feel unwelcome, no reason for me to go to London."
The President added: "I used to love London as a city. But when they make you feel unwelcome, why would I stay there?"
Tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of London today, with further demonstrations planned for this weekend in Scotland.
At midday protesters gathered by the Women's March at Portland Place began marching to a rally at Trafalgar Square.
Another protest, organised by Together Against Trump, which includes trade unions, Stop the War, Friends of the Earth, CND and Momentum, will meet at the BBC’s headquarters at 2pm, ending three hours later in Trafalgar Square.
Thousands of protesters are currently making their way through central London on the "Stop Trump" march, before a large rally takes place at 5pm in Trafalgar Square.
As the six metre high blimp was raised today, onlookers posted a string of withering comments about the balloon.
Mid Sussex Tory MP Sir Nicholas Soames launched a scathing attack on the blimp as it hovered near the statue of his grandfather Sir Winston Churchill, branding it “utterly pathetic, pointless and graceless”.
Twitter users were equally unimpressed, with Nick Gee writing: "I assumed the #TrumpBabyBlimp was going to be the size of the Hindenburg. £16k for a party balloon. Hope they kept the receipt."
Others found the blimp a bit "embarrassing".
Ollie Hall tweeted: “It’s not really a “Blimp” is it. More of a balloon. The exaggeration is on the scale of the words used by the man it portrays. All a bit embarrassing. #TrumpBabyBlimp”
Radio presenter Andy Bush said: "I’m no fan of Trump but I’m embarrassed by that orange baby blimp thing. I feel like we’re better than that."
And Twitter user @hillsiola tweeted: “Fully understand why people wouldn't like Trump, but this is just embarrassing. #TrumpBabyBlimp”
One joked: ";I’ve seen bigger queues for a kebab!"
Sarah Elliott, chairwoman of Republicans Overseas UK, said she did not think Trump would be fazed by the stunt.
"I think whenever his detractors go after him, it makes him double down and it actually encourages him to keep going and prove everybody wrong," she said. "So I think that's the effect the balloon will have," she said.
Despite this, blimp organiser Leo Murray, 41, said: “This is a victory. People love it, he hates it, and it’s driven him out of London.”
Sadiq Khan, who was criticised by Trump in the Sun interview for failing to control crime and prevent militant attacks, gave his blessing for the blimp to be flown and rejected suggestions this showed a lack of respect to the US president.
“The idea that we restrict freedom of speech, the right to assemble, the right to protest because somebody might be offended is a slippery slope,” he told BBC radio, adding that a protest to welcome Trump was also planned.
“We have a rich history in this country of having a sense of humour as well.”
On ITV's This Morning Piers Morgan asked Khan whether he would have approved a blimp of ex-president Barack Obama.
He said: "If this was Barack Obama and someone came to you and wanted to fly a giant baby, would you allow it?"
In a dig at the London Mayor today, BBC's Andrew Neil jokingly announced how US Ambassador would fly a Sadiq Khan balloon in a "stab vest" over the Embassy.
He said: "Welcome to This Week, live from Westminster and dead from the neck up, where news reaches us that in retaliation for the Mayor of London allowing a giant Trump baby blimp in a nappy to be floated over London, the Americans have decided to float an even bigger blimp of Sadiq Khan over the US Embassy.
"He'll be wearing a stab vest said the US Ambassador because even at 200 feet in the air, this has become a very dangerous city under his watch."
