Donald Trump's Defaced Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Will Cost Thousands to Repair
— -- It will cost thousands to repair Donald Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Leron Gubler, the president and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, told ABC News.
The Republican presidential nominee's star was destroyed early today, and according to Deadline, a man named James Otis has claimed responsibility. Otis told the publication that he aimed to remove the star entirely, and auction it off to raise money for women who have accused Trump of sexual assault. Trump has denied all wrongdoing.
This afternoon, with the repairs under way, Gubler told ABC News that it will cost between $3,000 and $10,000 to fix the damage.
"It's mostly the cost of the labor," Gubler explained. "The stars are composed of the brass symbols and the terrazzo is concrete with marble chips, so it's a process. It takes quite a bit of work -- several hours worth. It'll take several days to season before they can polish and restore it."
Trump, 70, earned his star in 2007 for his work on the show "The Apprentice." This is not the first time it has been defaced since he announced his run, though it is the first time it has been completely destroyed. Gubler noted that that type of destruction has only been wreaked on one other star: composer Carmen Dragon's.
"It was somebody who had mental issues and the name 'Dragon' apparently caused great inner turmoil, so they took it out on the star," Gubler said. "The person was apprehended and was required to make restitution."
Gubler noted that in the future, Trump's star will remain unguarded, as all the other stars are, and said that it will not be removed. In fact, he added, he cannot imagine that the board would ever vote to remove a star.
"Once a star is installed it becomes part of the historic fabric of the Walk of Fame. We have never removed a star in the 56-year history of the Walk of Fame," he said. "Once you remove one star, it sets a precedent and opens Pandora's box."
