Claim:
Donald Trump's Hollywood Walk of Fame star had a drain installed due to people repeatedly urinating on it.
Rating:
False ( About this rating? )
On June 4, 2024, a Reddit user posted a screenshot of an X post which allegedly showed a drain installed on Donald Trump's Hollywood Walk of Fame star.
The Reddit user said the iconic monument, which appeared to be covered in a murky stain, was their preferred place to urinate in Los Angeles.
"It's our favorite pee destination in LA," they wrote.
It’s our favorite pee destination in LA.
by u/EugeneWong318 in TheLib
The screenshotted X post , which had amassed more than 530,000 views at the time of this writing, added: "They had to install a drain."
Similar posts appeared elsewhere on X and Reddit .
However, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce (HCC), which administers the Walk of Fame, told Snopes it did not add a drain to Trump's star. A reverse-image search of the in-question image uncovered similar photos of Trump's star (same angle, lighting, etc.) — though without the drain.
Also, an HCC spokesperson said, to their knowledge, people were not urinating on the landmark. There were also no recent acts of vandalism to the star, they added.
Based on that evidence, the photo appeared to be a digital creation. We rated the claim "False."
Likewise, no credible news outlets reported on a drain being added to Trump's Walk of Fame star due to people urinating on it, which would have been newsworthy if it were true.
For example, numerous publications reported on the star getting vandalized or defaced on several previous occasions, such as in October 2016 , July 2018 and October 2020 .
In 2016, Snopes investigated the claim that people were defecating on Trump's star .
Sources:
Chan, Eric Levenson, Stella. 'President Trump's Walk of Fame Star Was Smashed to Pieces | CNN Politics'. CNN , 25 July 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/25/politics/trump-walk-of-fame-star-smash/index.html .
Donald Trump Star Hollywood Walk of Fame Drain - Google Search . https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=3afdcc1e5739e061&q=donald+trump+star+hollywood+walk+of+fame+drain&tbm=nws&source=lnms&prmd=invmbtz&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwipgdTI9cSGAxWMYEEAHfVwD4wQ0pQJegQIChAB&biw=1280&bih=593&dpr=1.5 . Accessed 6 June 2024.
'Donald Trump's Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Smashed Up'. BBC News , 26 Oct. 2016. www.bbc.co.uk , https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-37777652 .
'Hollywood Chamber of Commerce'. Hollywood Chamber of Commerce , https://hollywoodchamber.net/ . Accessed 6 June 2024.
Paul, Kari. 'Donald Trump's Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Vandalized Again'. The Guardian , 2 Oct. 2020. The Guardian , https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/oct/02/donald-trump-hollywood-walk-of-fame-star-vandalized-again .
'Walk of Fame - Press'. Hollywood Walk of Fame , https://walkoffame.com/press/ . Accessed 6 June 2024.
Updates:
June 7, 2024: This report's rating was changed from "Unfounded" to "False" after the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce responded to Snopes' inquiry on the matter.
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