As if the summer campaign season couldn’t get any weirder, a man used suction cups Wednesday to climb up the side of Trump Tower in New York City, as cameras captured his efforts live.
The man, wearing khaki shorts and carrying a backpack, climbed for more than two hours late in the afternoon, but was arrested around 6:30 p.m. after almost three hours and a careful “chase” with police around the building’s side.
Police had cut holes in a grate on the side of the building, named for real-estate mogul and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, and were waiting for the man to reach them — though he changed his route, apparently in an effort to avoid them nabbing him.
The officers then smashed out part of a window and began dropping a window washing scaffolding to try to cut off his route, though he diverted to avoid them again.
He and officers appeared to be talking, and at one point he showed them the inside of his backpack, perhaps to assure them he didn’t have explosives.
The climber was identified by New York newspapers as Stephen Rogata from Virginia.
A man who resembles the climber posted a video to YouTube saying in advance that he would climb Trump Tower in order to meet Mr. Trump and discuss an unspecified but important matter. The man in the video declares himself a Trump supporter.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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