A devoted fan of Donald Trump has immortalized the former US president’s defiant gesture following the shocking assassination attempt on his life with a tattoo.
Tim Lease, a tattoo artist from Orlando, Florida, was taken aback when a client walked into his studio and requested an inked depiction of Trump, bloodied but roaring “fight” at a Pennsylvania rally over the weekend.
Lease, 41, is known for his willingness to take on unconventional projects, so he agreed without hesitation.
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The intricate tattoo, which took three hours to complete and set the client back $700 (£540), quickly became a talking point online.
“This particular client, whom I’ve tattooed before, came into the shop right after the shooting,” Lease recounted to Need To Know.
“We’d just started working on an America-themed sleeve. As we were sitting on the couch in my studio, the now-iconic image flashed across the screen. My client turned to me and said, ‘That would be a badass tattoo.’
So, I said, ‘Hell yeah brother, let’s do that sh*t right now.’ A few hours later, it was done and posted online.”
Lease anticipated the tattoo would go viral. “I thought it might be fun,” he said. “Since then, I’ve received a mix of praise, criticism, and everything in between.”
Although he doesn’t personally engage in politics, Lease described himself as a “well-educated conspiracy theorist” and explained his motivation for the tattoo as purely driven by a blend of historical pop culture and ironic fun.
“I’ve always loved tattooing and have been an artist my entire life,” he added.
The tattoo, posted on Instagram (@timleasetattoos), has garnered over 900 likes and numerous comments.
Reactions were mixed, with Max commenting, “That’s wild. The cult is really culting,” while Heliana noted, “Great job, super bad taste, you gotta do what the clients want.”
Others were less impressed. Chase remarked, “The blood’s not even dry and dudes got a tattoo already,”
and Shino bluntly stated, “Unfollowed immediately! Don’t care how much I enjoyed your work, this is tacky af, and it’s political af in a very VERY bad way.”
Ed added, “Anything for clout I guess,” and another user criticized the quality, writing, “Not the line work fascist.”
It appears Lease isn’t the only artist to capture this controversial moment in ink. Ryan Angel, a tattooist from Connecticut, shared a similar experience.
In a video posted on Instagram (@rygotthevybe), Angel revealed that his client, who also happens to be a tattoo artist, had no idea about the assassination attempt until he saw the image.
“He came to the studio that night, and once I showed him, he was like, ‘Damn, that would be a fire tatt,’ and I was like let’s do it. We knew it would go viral.”
The video shows Trump’s injured face, his fist raised high, and an American flag in the background, with the post accumulating over 51,200 views, 1,100 likes, and numerous comments.
Responses varied, with Naz calling it “the dumbest tattoo i’ve seen thus far,” while Eddie expressed concern, stating,
“Tattoo artists that actually agree to tattoo political stuff on their clients cannot be trusted.”
Others had a lighter take, with Shanique commenting, “Quick with it,” followed by a fire emoji, and Pinky adding, “Lmaoooooooo I’m crying.”
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