Trump tweets about plan for BLM mural in front of his Tower

NEW YORK (AP) - President Donald Trump has taken issue with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plan to paint “Black Lives Matter” in giant letters on the street in front of Trump’s namesake Manhattan tower.

Trump tweeted Thursday that de Blasio “wants to paint the fabled & beautiful Fifth Avenue, right in front of Trump Tower/Tiffany, with a big yellow Black Lives Matter sign.”

““Pigs in a Blanket, Fry ’Em Like Bacon”, referring to killing Police, is their chant. NYC Police are furious!” his tweet said.

But that has not in fact been a common chant at protests in New York or elsewhere since the death of George Floyd one month ago in Minneapolis.

City Hall officials announced Wednesday that the “Black Lives Matter” rallying cry would be painted in bold letters on the street in front of the president’s midtown skyscraper.

“The president is a disgrace to the values we cherish in New York City,” de Blasio spokesperson Julia Arredondo said. “He can’t run or deny the reality we are facing, and any time he wants to set foot in the place he claims is his hometown, he should be reminded Black Lives Matter.”

De Blasio announced earlier this month that the city would paint “Black Lives Matter” on streets at locations around the city. The first such block-long message was put on a street in Brooklyn. The announcement follows the move by officials in Washington, D.C., to paint the slogan in enormous yellow letters on the street leading to the White House.

Arredondo said work will start in the coming week on the mural in front of Trump Tower, which was not on the city’s original list of locations.

De Blasio tweeted back at Trump on Thursday evening, saying, “Only warped minds equate the words Black Lives Matter with violence. It’s a movement to recognize and protect the lives of Black people.”

Trump lived in Trump Tower before he took office as president but has spent little time there since. He changed his official residence to Florida last year. His business empire is still headquartered there.