Trump Could Be Violating ‘Emoluments Clause,’ Artist Reminds With Trump Hotel Projections

An artist named Robin Bell projected a series of anti-Trump messages on the Trump Hotel in 12^th Street, New York, at 9.15 a.m. Monday morning to remind America that President Donald Trump might be in violation of the “Emoluments Clause.”

The Trump Hotel was briefly vandalized when Bell, perched in his van in front of the hotel, flashed in a bluish light, the words “EMOLUMENTS WELCOME” and “PAY TRUMP BRIBES HERE,” onto the building of Trump Hotel International, New York Daily News reports.

Among the projection was the entire text of the “Emoluments Clause”, under Article 1 of the constitution, for people who might not be aware of it: “No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.”

Bell’s efforts lasted around 10 minutes before a security guard walked up to his van and stood in front of his projector, blocking the feed. By then, it had already been noticed by many.

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“We had a couple great moments. A tour bus pulled up, people started clapping and taking photos,” Bell told the Daily News. “Everyone on the street, except for the security guard, seemed really happy.”

This was not the first time Bell and his clan of protesters had attempted something like this. After just a fortnight of Trump becoming the president, the words “EXPERTS AGREE: TRUMP IS A PIG” was projected onto the door of the same hotel, again, by Bell.

The “Emoluments Clause” in the U.S. constitution has stirred up trouble for Trump multiple times since he was sworn in as president. Back in January, a liberal watch group called Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, filed a lawsuit demanding Trump stopped conducting personal business with foreign government.

“This cannot be allowed,” the group wrote in the complaint filed, the Washington Post reported. Even though Trump called the case “totally without merit,” it did open up the path for people, who want to get the president impeached, to take up the same issue in the future.

Read: Should Trump Be Impeached? New Poll Shows 47% Of Americans Think He Violated The Constitution

Even though the particular clause was included in the constitution more as a precautionary measure, to prevent American leaders from getting swayed by expensive gifts and donations from foreign governments, it seems to pose serious repercussions for Trump’s presidency.

The main debate surrounding the clause is whether it prohibits the POTUS from receiving not just gifts, but also payments for services rendered. If the latter is proved true, reports indicate Trump could possibly be held liable if any of his hotels rent out a room to a foreign embassy or decks out a room in the Trump Tower for a foreign bank to use.

However, Trump’s attorneys have time and again contested the idea of the president being in violation of the “Emoluments Clause” because, “Paying for a hotel room is not a gift or a present,” they argued.

Nevertheless, it becomes clear from Bell’s stunt the American people still think Trump might be in contempt of the clause as his hotels and several other businesses he owns, accept foreign payments.