'Trump Baby' balloon flies over London; blimp makes POTUS feel 'unwelcome' during visit

LONDON -- European activists are flying a nearly 20-foot balloon depicting President Donald Trump as a baby over London on Friday as the president visits Britain.

As "Trump baby" flies over the Houses of Parliament, thousands are taking to the streets to protest the visit. Organizers say protests are planned in about 50 cities around the United Kingdom.

"I guess when they put out blimps to make me feel unwelcome, no reason for me to go to London," Trump said in an interview with the Sun in Britain.

Organizers behind the crowd-funded campaign that has raised nearly 20,000 pounds (approximately $26,400 USD) announced July 5 that London Mayor Sadiq Khan had agreed to let the group tether the balloon at Parliament Square Gardens.

The 20-foot balloon flew on Friday, July 13, the same time as an unrelated "Stop Trump" march in central London, according to Sky News. The balloon was not able to fly higher than 98 feet.

"The Mayor supports the right to peaceful protest and understands that this can take many different forms," Khan's office told Sky. "His city operations team have met with the organisers and have given them permission to use Parliament Square Garden as a grounding point for the blimp."

Activist Leo Murray told the Associated Press that city officials "originally told us that they didn't recognize Trump Baby as legitimate protest. But, following a huge groundswell of public support for our plan, it looks like City Hall has rediscovered its sense of humor."

The balloon shows the commander-in-chief holding his cellphone and wearing nothing but a diaper. Organizers retained an unspecified "professional inflatables company" to craft the ballon, which requires more than $900 in helium every time it flies.

Protest organizers said on their campaign website they want to "make sure [Trump] knows that all of Britain is looking down on him and laughing at him" during his visit. They called the president "a danger to women, immigrants and minorities and a mortal threat to world peace and the very future of life on earth."

Organizers said they've raised so much money that the Trump Baby balloon will embark on a "world tour" following the demonstration in London.