Ann Coulter Praises Stabbing of 'Baby Trump' Balloon, Says Incident Proves 'Alabama Is the Greatest State'

Conservative commentator Ann Coulter on Sunday praised the stabbing of a giant "Baby Trump" protest balloon during President Donald Trump's visit to Tuscaloosa, Alabama this weekend.

As Trump received loud cheers and applause from college football fans at Bryant-Denny Stadium during his Saturday appearance at the game between the University of Alabama and Louisiana State University, one of his supporters stabbed a 20-foot-tall "Baby Trump" balloon that was being flown at an anti-Trump protest in a nearby park. The suspect was arrested by police and later identified by local news outlets as 32-year-old Hoyt Hutchinson.

Coulter took to Twitter on Sunday to praise the man and share news of the incident with her followers. "Proving once again that Alabama is the greatest state in the union," she tweeted.

The orange balloon, which depicts an unflattering cartoon-style version of Trump wearing a diaper and holding a smartphone for tweeting, was first flown in London, United Kingdom ahead of and during the U.S. president's 2018 state visit. It has been seen in numerous locations worldwide since then, including in France, Argentina, Denmark and Ireland. Several groups now produce replicas of the balloon to lend to protesters across America.

Hutchinson shared a video to Facebook announcing his plans to "make a scene" shortly before the incident. "Y'all watch the news," he said in the clip, according to AL.com. "I'm shaking I'm so mad right now. I'm fixin' to pop this balloon. Stay tuned. It should be interesting."

After being released on bond later on Saturday, Hutchinson shared another video on social media asking the public to donate money to a GoFundMe page, which he set up to help him pay for his legal fees in relation to his arrest.

Newsweek reached out to the Tuscaloosa Police Department for comment on Saturday, but did not receive a response in time for publication.

"Help raise money to pay legal fees and restitutions for Hoyt," the fundraiser's description said. "He was charged with a felony criminal mischief after deflation of the disrespectful baby trump balloon. Hoyt made sure our beloved president didn't have to see this disrespectful balloon on the streets of Ttown today!!"

As of Sunday evening, the GoFundMe page had raised more than $35,000 from roughly 1,500 donors. The fundraiser's goal was originally set at $6,000.

"Thank you for all the support!!" Hutchinson wrote on the GoFundMe page on Sunday. "Makes the whole situation easier to deal with knowing fellow patriots stand with us. All proceeds not needed for legal fees will be donated to the Trump 2020 campaign to further support this great country."

The warm reception Trump received during the Alabama game comes after the president attended two recent sporting events where he was overwhelmingly booed by attendees.