Hoyt Deau Hutchinson, 32, said he was left shaking in anger when he drove past the 20 foot balloon, which is had been set up in a local park on Satuday
An Alabama man charged with criminal mischief in the slashing of a towering ‘Baby Trump’ balloon has defended his actions, saying it was a matter of good versus evil.
Hoyt Deau Hutchinson, 32, called the syndicated radio show ‘Rick & Bubba Show’ on Monday to describe what happened during the incident, which occurred during Trump’s visit to watch the University of Alabama football game three days ago.
Hutchinson said he was left shaking in anger when he drove past the 20 foot balloon, which is had been set up in a local park.
The 32-year-old yelled at the protestors surrounding the ballon and said he was from then on in determined to stop Trump from seeing it.
But realizing the protestors might have seen him, Hutchinson bought a University of Alabama shirt to better blend into the crowd and get closer to the balloon.
The deflated ‘Baby Trump’ balloon is seen above on Saturday. It was knifed during Trump’s trip to Alabama
People standing by a Baby Trump balloon at Monnish Park protest President Donald Trump’s visit to an NCAA college football game between Louisiana State and Alabama playing nearby in Tuscaloosa
Pretending he wanted a picture with the unflattering inflatable interpretation of Trump, Hutchinson up close to the balloon and used a material cutter with a sharp razor, leaving it with an eight-foot-long gash in its backside.
The orange, diaper-clad caricature of the president is often floated at Trump appearances to protest and mock the president, which the balloon shows clutching a cellphone.
‘I get so mad about people not taking a stand,’ he said. ‘The left wants to use religion against you like you shouldn’t act like this and stuff but I’ll tell you this – the Devil knows the Bible as good as we do.’
Asked if the slashing was Hutchinson’s attempt to echo the Biblical story of Jesus turning over the temple tables of money changers, he said yes.
‘It comes a point when you gotta take a stand. We don’t have two parties anymore. We have good versus evil. When you got one party that says it’s OK to kill babies and by the way, this is the first time I’ve ever seen a liberal get mad about chopping up a baby.’
He said he yelled ‘Trump 2020’ as he was being arrested. Hutchinson was charged with first-degree criminal mischief and held on a $2,500 bond.
He later posted bail and was released.
When asked about his motivations, the 32-year-old Hutchinson told the radio station he keeps up with politics by watching Fox News and his two favorite anchors, Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity.
‘I’m not young but I’m not old. I’m sort of middle aged. I feel like a lot of people my age don’t keep up with the news and politics the way they should,’ he said.
Hutchinson charged the balloon with a knife and cut an 8-foot-long (2.4-meter-long) hole in the back. Hutchinson is seen being arrested above
A GoFundMe page was created to support Hutchinson after he stabbed the balloon on Saturday.
He has now said that he will use the money to pay his legal fees, replace the balloon he destroyed and will give the remaining funds to the Republican Party.
And another GoFundMe page, called ‘FREE HOYT’, has raised $12,941 in just one day.
He posted a Facebook video before the incident saying he was ‘going down here to make a scene…y’all watch the news….I’m shaking I’m so mad right now. I’m fixin’ to pop this balloon. Stay tuned. It should be interesting’.
‘Baby Trump’ first rose over London when local activists brainstormed a way to troll Trump. Now several groups raise money to bring balloon replicas around the U.S.
Robert Kennedy, a volunteer ‘baby sitter’ who brought the balloon to Tuscaloosa, said the balloon immediately began to sag after it was cut.
The day had been going mostly smoothly, Kennedy said. Some people yelled ‘Trump 2020’ as they passed while others posed for selfies with the balloon. But then Kennedy said a man sidled up on the back of the balloon and attacked it with a knife. The suspect ran away but was caught by police officers, Kennedy said.
It is unclear whether Hutchinson has an attorney who could comment.
Hutchinson is seen wearing Trump merchandise (right) and in another Facebook photo left
He started a GoFundMe within hours of his arrest and it has already raised more than $12,000.
The page said: ‘Help raise money to pay legal fees and restitutions for Hoyt. He was charged with a felony criminal mischief after deflation of the disrespectful baby trump balloon. Hoyt made sure our beloved president didn’t have to see this disrespectful balloon on the streets of Ttown today!!’
Kennedy said he’s accompanied ‘Baby Trump’ to many appearances and never witnessed an attack on it, although someone did stab one of the balloons in London earlier this year.
‘It is rare to get that kind of anger,’ Kennedy said.
Trump’s reception at the showdown between Louisiana State and Alabama contrasted with the scene at Game 5 of the World Series in Washington, where was booed, and the mixed response to his appearance at a martial arts fight in New York.
Trump, sitting one tier above the field, waved as fans turned around to look up at the president. He smiled, gave a thumbs-up a few times and threw a couple of fist bumps into the air as the Alabama fans waved red and white pom-poms in response. First lady Melania Trump got an equally enthusiastic welcome.
Trump left in the fourth quarter of the game, which LSU won 46-41.
President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump soaked up the applause Saturday while attending the game between the LSU Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide