Trump Tower will be getting a new address if a MoveOn petition created to rename the stretch of Fifth Avenue between 56th and 57th Streets in New York City after President Barack Obama is successful.
In a mark of petty brilliance, 270,852 people and counting join the petition’s author Elizabeth Rowin in requesting “the New York City Mayor and City Council [rename] a block of Fifth Avenue after the former president whose many accomplishments include: saving our nation from the Great Recession; serving two completely scandal-free terms in office; and taking out Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind September 11th, which killed over 3,000 New Yorkers.”
The petition seeks to rename the block “President Barack H. Obama Avenue,” with any addresses on that particular stretch be changed accordingly.
If the petition is successful, Trump Tower’s new address would be “725 President Barack H. Obama Avenue, New York, NY 10022.”
Rowin, who lives in Los Angeles, told CBS News that she started the petition back in December after seeing a comedian joke about it. A few sites picked it up in January and the petition gained some traction, but then momentum died down.
A viral tweet from a man in Scotland earlier this week put the petition back in the spotlight.
Even though a few city council members have said they would look into it, Rowin said she has yet to get any concrete responses.
“I really didn’t think there was a chance that it could happen,” Rowin said. “I think it would be fabulous…people feel kind of helpless right now, and it’s a way to troll [Trump]…If he does hear about it, maybe it would slow him down and distract him.”
Could It Really Happen?
As CBSNews notes, in New York there only needs to be about 100 signatures for local areas to consider a secondary street name. However, it does not allow for the renaming if the honorees are still alive.
Rowin is not too bothered about that.
“That’s an arbitrary rule,” she said. “In L.A., there are two streets named after him. So there’s no reason New York couldn’t do it as well.”
New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson told CBS News that while he’s all for honoring Obama, he’s not sure that this would be the best way.
“As much as I love the idea of celebrating President Obama, I am not positive this is the best way,” he said. “The Obamas epitomize class, dedication to public service and respect for the Oval Office. I’m pretty confident we can find a better way to honor the greatest president of my lifetime than by trolling the worst president of my lifetime.”
