Artist says she got death threats over anti-Trump billboard with mushroom clouds and swastika dollar signs

Conservatives aren't too happy about it.
By Keith Wagstaff  on 

There are subtle ways to protest Donald Trump. Then there's putting up a billboard with mushroom clouds and dollar signs that look like swastikas.

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The billboard from artist Karen Fiorito went up in downtown Phoenix on Friday afternoon and (surprise!) some Trump supporters were not too happy about it.

"I've been called a communist, a Satan worshiper," she told USA Today. "I've been told I'm a 'very, very sick person.' I'm not sure what that means. I haven't been answering the phone. My husband has because he's not afraid to talk to anyone, but he told me he received a couple death threats this morning."

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On Twitter, angry pro-Trump users sent plenty of insults Fiorito's way. The artist, who lives in Santa Monica, California, anticipated the backlash.

The owner of the billboard said the artwork would remain up for as long as Trump remained president. Perhaps the commander-in-chief will respond to the controversy after he's done playing a few rounds of golf ... again.

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Keith Wagstaff

Keith Wagstaff is an assistant editor at Mashable and a terrible Settlers of Catan player. He has written for TIME, The Wall Street Journal Magazine, NBC News, The Village Voice, VICE, GQ and New York Magazine, among many other reputable and not-so-reputable publications. After nearly a decade in New York City, he now lives in his native Los Angeles.


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