A photo entry at a Southern California fair is drawing scrutiny after critics characterized it as "assassination artwork" targeting President Donald Trump and questioned how it was approved for display.
Will O'Neill, chairman of the Republican Party of Orange County, sent a letter to the Orange County Fair Board objecting to an image included in an art contest display to “express our profound disappointment and outrage over the Orange County Fair's decision to display that photograph,” according to a social media post from the party.
“At best, the display demonstrates astonishingly poor judgment,” O’Neill wrote. “At worst, it contributes to the toxic political environment that leaders across the political spectrum claim they want to reduce.”
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Moore, the communications director for the Orange County Fair, said in an Aug. 5 emailed statement that the photo is being removed from the competition display “at the request of the artist.”
“The OC Fair accepts visual arts competition entries based on artistic and technical merit, specifically the judging criteria for each division. The viewpoints of the artists are their own,” Moore said. “The photograph in question was reviewed by the judging panel and accepted as a representation of a public event.”
Titled "The Young Fight," the image shows two young boys holding signs outside a car. According to the photo's caption, the children are participating in a No Kings protest in Torrance.
One boy is holding a sign that reads "Happy Last Birthday," while the other holds a sign criticizing Trump and depicting a caricature of him playing with preschool blocks.
The photo, which was shot on 35mm film and entered in the street photography category, is listed for sale at $300.
Photo garners attention after social media video
The photo garnered attention after a video posted on X showed the image among the artworks on display at the Orange County Fair. Since it was posted Aug. 3, the video has received more than 215,000 views and hundreds of comments criticizing the photo's inclusion at the fair.
“Disagree with Trump. Protest Trump. Criticize Trump. That’s America. But celebrating violence against anyone is a line we should never cross,” one user commented.
O’Neill echoed the criticism in his letter.
“Highlighting a photo using the phrase ‘Happy Last Birthday' next to our President’s image in today's political climate, following multiple assassination attempts against President Donald Trump, increasing threats against elected officials, and a disturbing rise in politically motivated violence, is unacceptable,” O’Neill wrote in his letter.
O’Neill goes on to say that the fair, as a publicly operated institution, has an obligation to serve "every resident regardless of political affiliation."
“With that responsibility comes an obligation to administer policies fairly and without ideological favoritism,” O’Neill said.
According to O’Neill, this was the “first year in well over a decade that the Republican Party of Orange County was denied participation in the Fair on the grounds that the Fair wished to avoid political activity.”
“Displaying that photo is anything but politically neutral. It contains unmistakable contemporary political messaging directed at one side of our nation's political debate. The photo communicates a partisan viewpoint without any balance,” O’Neill wrote.
The letter asks the Orange County Fair to provide a written response addressing several questions, including who approved the display, what criteria were used to determine whether it complied with fair policy, and whether the fair applies its policies equally regardless of political viewpoint. The letter also calls for the photo's removal.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: OC Fair photo criticized as 'assassination artwork' targeting Trump
