It seems the UK can finally expect a visit from US President Donald Trump in the next week or so — and along with it, a giant inflatable. London, meet Trump Baby.
What is Trump Baby?
Trump Baby is a large, not-entirely-serious inflatable likeness of Donald Trump, to be flown over the capital during his visit. The 20ft high, orange blimp is dressed in nothing but a nappy, wields a smartphone with its tiny arms, and was basically designed to piss the real Trump off.
A six meter high orange, inflatable baby with a malevolent face and tiny hands
That was how the crowdfunding campaign behind it described their inflatable. The campaign initially set out to raise £5k to manufacture and fly the balloon. It's long-since exceeded that.
Will Trump Baby definitely fly?
OK, there is a caveat. Although the crowdfunding target has been exceeded several times over, and Sadiq Khan has given his permission for Trump Baby to fly, the final say rests with the Metropolitan Police and National Air Traffic Services, who would presumably pull the plug if things were getting dangerous. They can veto it anytime, even on the day.
When can I see Trump Baby in London?
If the flight goes ahead, Trump Baby will fly between 9.30am and 11.30am on Friday 13 July, coinciding with protests around London.
Where can I see Trump Baby in London?
The planned grounding point for the blimp is Parliament Square Gardens, right next to the Houses of Parliament. It's restricted to a maximum flying height of 30m (98ft) above the ground, but that should be high enough to give him quite an audience.
What will happen to Trump Baby after Donald Trump's visit?
Crowdfunding's really come into its own on this one. After smashing the original £5,000 target to get the balloon made, the team extended the target with a view to having mini versions made
However, after environmental campaigners pointed out the negative effect this could have on the environment, they settled instead on having an additional half-sized Trump Baby ('Little Donald') made, in the hope that it can used among the crowds of protesters in the streets.
After Trump's visit to the UK is over, Little Donald will be made available to other cities and countries expecting a visit from the US President — in effect, following the real Donald all over the world.
When is (the real) Donald Trump coming to London?
There's been no actual confirmation that America's Cheeto-doused leader will be setting foot in the capital — which is no surprise given all of the protests that are planned here, and the fact that there's no love lost between Trump and London mayor Sadiq Khan.
What we know so far is that he's in the UK on Friday 13 July (hat tip to whoever wangled that ominous date), and is expected to meet the Queen (oh, to be a fly on that wall...), although the Royal encounter takes place at Windsor Castle rather than here in London. He's also expected to meet Theresa May at her country residence, Chequers, and there are rumours of him nipping up to Scotland to tee off on the golf course he owns.
Trump was originally expected to visit London in early 2018 to open the US Embassy, but cancelled that in a bizarre tweet, describing the Nine Elms setting as an "off location". London rose to the occasion beautifully.
What else do I need to know?
Trump Baby has its own Twitter account (@TrumpBabyUK), which has more than 1o,ooo followers at time of writing.