March 08--A week before the Illinois primary election, a Donald Trump billboard was removed Tuesday after profanity was scrawled on it.
The "Vote Trump" billboard at Lake Street and Ogden Avenue in West Town was removed sometime after noon Tuesday, said Mike McHugh, president of Harvest Outdoor, the billboard's leasing company.
"We took it down as soon as we saw profanity on it," he said.
Images circulating on social media show the billboard had words scrawled on it to read "F--- Trump." Another image showed a vandal had previously struck out the name "Trump" and marked it to read "Vote 4 Bernie!"
The billboard was paid for by a Trump supporter, not the campaign, and has been up since Friday, McHugh said. He said he learned of the vandalism Tuesday.
He declined to disclose the cost for leasing the billboard space.
McHugh said he didn't think the sign would be replaced at this point, given how few days are left before the March 15 primary election in Illinois. He said he's waiting to hear what the supporter would like to do.
Trump plans to come to Chicago on Friday for a rally at the University of Illinois at Chicago. A counterprotest has been organized by a coalition of Latino politicians.
lvivanco@tribpub.com
