An artist's visual attempt to turn the number "45" into a swastika-like symbol of white supremacy has gone viral, appearing widely on social media.
In February, Austin-based artist Mike Mitchell decided he wanted to "tarnish" the number 45 because President Donald Trump was proud of it as a symbol of his presidency.
The 45th President must go. pic.twitter.com/ruZrpPGfL9
— Jerry Saltz (@jerrysaltz) August 14, 2017
Mitchell is an avid critic of Trump who characterizes the President as a "white supremacist." One of Mitchell's tweets, which contained the image, was retweeted 14,000 times after it grabbed the attention of GQ special correspondent and former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann.
Simplicity itself. https://t.co/j3mCOhXL14
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) August 14, 2017
Anti-Trump protesters and activists have adopted the symbol. Mitchell has made the image available in a high-res file for "personal use."
In an interview with Co.Design, the artist, referring to Trump, said, "Impeach this idiot already."
Mitchell's previous claim-to-fame was the campaign-style image he created to support late-night host Conan O'Brien during his contractual dispute with NBC.