SoCal artist's billboard shows President Trump with mushroom cloud

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Sunday, March 19, 2017
Artist's billboard shows Trump fswastikas, mushroom cloud
A billboard created by a Santa Monica artist shows President Trump alongside swastikas, mushroom clouds and the Russian flag.

PHOENIX, Arizona -- A Santa Monica artist's billboard criticizing President Donald Trump is raising eyebrows across the country.

The sign over downtown Phoenix shows Trump alongside mushroom clouds, swastika-shaped dollar signs and the Russian flag. Along the back, five fists form the sign language letters for the word "unity."

Santa Monica artist Karen Fiorito has claimed responsibility for the display, which was commissioned by a Phoenix art gallery.

Fiorito posted on Facebook that she is expecting backlash and even "death threats" from Trump supporters. Indeed her post has comments that call her a "sick individual" and "disgusting," although others praised it as a "lovely, provocative work."

The same artist and gallery were behind another controversial billboard in 2004 that targeted then-President George W. Bush.