A women’s rights group projected accusations againstf Donald Trump onto his Washington hotel on the night the President was delivering his State of the Union address.
“Donald Trump harassed or assaulted twenty women,” a phrase projected onto the hotel said. The projection switched to the phrase “Congress: Investigate Trump”. Mr Trump and the White House has repeatedly denied all allegations against him.
The projected message remained up for about ten minutes, according to multiple reports.
The organisation behind the messages, UltraViolet, noted in an accompanying statement that numerous women have accused the President of sexual misconduct and referenced a tape in which Mr Trump could be heard apparently bragging about forcing himself on women.
“So far he's escaped without any consequences, not even a formal investigation,” the group’s statement said. “In this moment of intense public scrutiny around sexual misconduct, Congress must act to hold Trump accountable”.
The timing of the projection took advantage of the attention trained on Mr Trump as he delivered the first of his annual speeches to Congress, an occasion that allows presidents to tout their successes and promote their agendas for the coming year. The projection also featured the phrase “#SOTU”, invoking a hashtag used to reference the speech.
A cascade of sexual misconduct allegations that has cost powerful men in politics, entertainment and the media their jobs has prompted renewed questions about allegations against Mr Trump. Multiple members of Congress are among those who have stepped aside amid accusations.
The White House has affirmed its position that the women who have accused Mr Trump are liars.
Projecting words onto Mr Trump’s properties has become a favourite tactic of activists seeking to criticise the President. Earlier this month people projected onto the hotel a derogatory word Mr Trump used in reference to other countries, and last year the phrase “Pay Trump Bribes Here” appeared on the hotel’s facade.
