Donald Trump could become the first 'star' to be removed from Hollywood Walk of Fame

A California man is determined to make Donald Trump the first person to have their star removed from Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

Hollywood Hills resident Andrew Rudick has spent three years submitting public records requests, retrieving court documents, speaking at city council meetings and corresponding with government officials in his quest to remove the ex-president's star from the Walk of Fame operated by several entities, reported the Los Angeles Times.

“The reasonably conveyed message to the millions who have walked past that plaque since 2021 is the city’s endorsement of a man who attempted a coup against the United States,” Rudick told at the Los Angeles City Council earlier this month.

The star has been vandalized and smashed, necessitating more than $20,000 in repairs since 2016, but it's not clear who would have the authority to remove it, with several groups having different levels of jurisdiction, including the City Council, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and the Hollywood Historic Trust.

“The Chamber is authorized by the City to administer Walk of Fame ceremonies, select and honor the recipient, order the fabrication of the star and place the star in the sidewalk, but the Chamber does not have the authority from any jurisdiction to permanently remove a star," said Ana Martinez, the chamber’s vice president of media and talent relations. "We don’t understand why people think we do have that authority.”

Trump was awarded the star in 2007, during the height of his fame from starring on "The Apprentice," but the City Council has been reluctant to take action despite unanimously calling for his impeachment in 2021 for his involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection.

“Donald Trump is a racist, fascist, and a threat to our democracy,” said Hugo Soto-Martínez, who represents the district where the Walk of Fame is located. “Since there’s no known precedent for removing a star from the Hollywood Walk of Fame, we’re looking into where the authority lies, what the legal issues may be, and what a process for it might look like.”

However, Rudick says his years of research on the topic led him to conclude the City Council has the authority to remove a star, and he said the first step would be asking the city attorney to draft a report on the process.