A controversial billboard in Tehran depicting Donald Trump in a prison cell has ended with an actor being mock-executed by hanging in front of a large crowd. The performance, installed at Tajrish Square in the Iranian capital days ago, reportedly on October 31, concluded today (November 4) in scenes captured on video and shared online.
Footage shared by Iranian news outlet Fars News Agency showed the actor, wearing a Trump-like mask, being executed by hanging in front of a packed crowd. Earlier this week, images and video had shown the actor placed in a mock jail on the billboard.
Billboard's Final Scene Draws Crowd
The billboard's messages also noted Trump's continued conflict with Iran, with some appearing to show war statistics. The mock execution was filmed by many spectators on their phones, with the footage widely circulated.
The display comes as Trump admitted that his war with Iran, which caused rising fuel costs, was the reason for the Republican Party's poor showing in the midterm elections.
Midterm Fallout and Political Reactions
Democrats ousted Republicans from coast to coast, with many surprising places in between, as voters rejected the president's party for the promise of something different for the country. Their majorities will be padded by wide margins in both the House and the Senate.
Trump acknowledged the Iran war impacted the midterm elections but said the "Iran thing" was something he had to do. He suggested he could work with the Democrats, but also warned of gridlock ahead as he threatened to use the power of the presidential veto to strike down their agenda.
"I don't want to be just sitting there for two years vetoing everything," he told Politico.
Trump said he was not considering replacing defence secretary Pete Hegseth, despite voter dissatisfaction with the war, saying Mr Hegseth was "doing a great job". Vice president JD Vance, often eyed as Trump's likely successor at the White House, also blamed the president's war in Iran for Republicans' midterm disaster.
In a lengthy online post, Vance seemingly sought to distance himself from election results seen as a referendum on Trump that featured big Republican losses across the country.
"The reason we lost is the war," Mr Vance wrote, adding, "If you'd like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that's at least honest."
The billboard performance has now reportedly ended following the execution.
