4 months ago
Although erected -- and inflated -- by different groups and for separate tech causes, the two displays rival one another in originality.
WASHINGTON — A 50-foot bunch of bananas has been teased by a non profit as the newest monument that will be erected on the National Mall after another week full of flamboyant and frequently confusing displays.
The bananas serve a non nutritional purpose for USAFacts, a nonprofit founded by tech billionaire Steve Ballmer, formerly CEO of Microsoft, that advocates for more accessible data. According to spokeswoman Caitlin New, USAFacts representatives will be quizzing visitors on their knowledge of government data and knowledge of U.S. history and politics.
"It'll be bananas, literally," New told WUSA9.
With its inflatable bananas, USAFacts runs the risk of getting their message misconstrued. The 50-foot banana might be, at least to former beatniks and Baby Boomers, reminiscent of Andy Warhol's album art for The Velvet Underground or -- to a younger generation -- a tribute to the favored fruit of Despicable Me's minions.
But from the nutritionist standpoint, a 50-foot banana provides a whopping 36,525 grams of potassium. Or in laymen's terms, a lot of potassium.
Inflatable bananas were just one of the many National Mall attractions this week. A 12-foot golden statue of President Donald Trump holding a Bitcoin had cast it's gilded shadow over those visiting nearby Smithsonian museums this week.
Although erected or inflated -- or perhaps even planted -- by different groups and for separate tech causes the two displays rival one another in creativity.
A potentially confusing detail of the Trump statue though was the Bitcoin's physical appearance since the point of cryptocurrencies has often been that they exist virtually and cannot be physically held by U.S. presidents. But a 12-foot golden statue does not always have to be photorealistic.
As Canadian philosopher Marshall McLuhan once said, "the medium is the message." Although it remains unsure if that message will come across or even be understood by passersby on the Mall.
The Trump statue was unveiled Wednesday morning as the Federal Reserve met on interest rates.
In his second administration, Trump has leaned into cryptocurrency both in his politics and with his pocketbook. Trump Media and Technology Group, which operates the president's social media platform Truth Social announced in August that they planned on buying $150 million in a crypto token known as CRO.
In July, Trump signed the GENIUS Act, which sets up guardrails and consumer protections for cryptocurrency.
"For years you were mocked and dismissed and counted out,” Trump told crypto industry executives at the White House this summer. “This signing is a massive validation of your hard work and your pioneering spirit.”
$TRUMP a meme coin founded by the president had its "initial coin offering" three days before Trump swore into office in January. Coinbase.com values the president's personal crypto brand
Democrats, like Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), have criticized the president's policies on cryptocurrency and his own personal ties to the burgeoning alternative tech market.
"The GENIUS Act does nothing to constrain President Trump's rampant crypto corruption," Van Hollen charged in July. "It does not address the meme coin the president marketed in exchange for an exclusive dinner. And it doesn't address the president's family stablecoin."
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) also voted against the GENIUS Act. Although some Democrats, including Sens. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.), voted for the law.
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