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Phoenix Billboard Depicts President Trump With Nazi-Like Symbols

PHOENIX (CBS) -- A billboard in Phoenix is sparking controversy after it popped up overnight with an image of President Donald Trump and what appears to be swastikas on each side of the president.

The billboard was created and paid for by Los Angeles-based artist Karen Fiorito. In a Facebook post last week, Fiorito announced she had collaborated with artists Beatrice Moore and Hugh Gran to create the controversial piece.

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She tells CBS 5 she wanted to have her voice heard.

"I'm very frustrated like I think a lot of people are, and I don't think we feel our voices are being heard," said Fiorito.

The billboard, near Grand Avenue and Taylor Street, shows the president wearing a Russian flag pin on his lapel, mushroom clouds in the background and two swastika-like dollar signs. The back of the billboard shows five fists forming sign language letters with the word "unity" beneath the fists.

"To me it says power, money, and dictatorship," said Fiorito.

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However, some residents in the area may not share the same sentiment.

"It's pretty drastic, I thought swastikas were very crude and violent," said resident Jeff Whiteman. "We have a leader of our country and we should respect him whether we agree with him or not."

Fiorito does not plan on taking down the billboard any time soon. She tells CBS 5 her friend owns the billboard itself and is not charging her rent. So she plans to keep the piece up for at least a year, if not through the end of Trump's presidency.

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