#Babygate trends after Trump surrounds the White House with fencing

"Bunker Boy" is now surrounded by a baby gate.
By Nicole Gallucci  on 
#Babygate trends after Trump surrounds the White House with fencing
A line of policemen keep guard near a metal fence in front of the White House. Credit: ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP via Getty Images

As protests continue in Washington, D.C., Donald Trump seems to be seeking out all the protection he can get.

On top of Secret Service agents that have the president's back 24/7 and a line of law enforcement officers stationed outside the White House, there's now a hideous black fence surrounding Trump's residence.

The fencing along the White House perimeter was added on Thursday morning, and is expected to remain there until Wednesday, per NBC News. Though White House spokesperson Judd Deere told the outlet that "The White House does not comment on security protocols and decisions," the Secret Service explained that "the closures are in an effort to maintain the necessary security measures surrounding the White House complex, while also allowing for peaceful demonstration."

Since the White House already has deep layers of security measures in place, many people feel that barricading the presidential residence in with a tall black fence is a pretty severe step.

Twitter users have even started mocking Trump by calling the fence a "baby gate."

On Friday morning, #Babygate started to trend on Twitter and at the time of writing this article the hashtag has been used nearly 28,000 times. Some people are comparing the fence to the gates used to hold in toddlers, while others are drawing parallels between the White House barricade and Trump's border wall.

Since the police killing of George Floyd on May 25, large groups of people have been protesting racism and police brutality around the world. Protests in D.C. have particularly escalated, however, and last Friday night Trump — along with Melania and their son Barron — were reportedly taken to the underground presidential bunker for safety.

Trump also received criticism for his trip to the bunker, and singer Courtney Jaye mocked him in a viral song called "Bunker Boy."

The White House may just be preparing for additional protests that are planned in D.C. over the weekend, but whatever the reason for the excess fencing, it's an undoubtedly bizarre sight to behold.

Mashable Image
Nicole Gallucci

Nicole is a Senior Editor at Mashable. She primarily covers entertainment and digital culture trends, and in her free time she can be found watching TV, sending voice notes, or going viral on Twitter for admiring knitwear. You can follow her on Twitter @nicolemichele5.


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