Trump Baby is back – and this time it’s more than just a balloon

“The greatest insult to a sitting US president ever.” It’s not often that I turn to the words of Nigel Farage to seek confirmation I might be involved in doing something right, but last July was different.

It was a few days before Donald Trump was due to touch down for his first visit to British shores since his election to office. And things weren’t quite going to plan. Britain was in thrall to the story of whether a 20ft-high bright orange helium balloon would be given permission to soar above Parliament Square in central London: Trump Baby had arrived.

The baby was lovingly crafted to pierce the force field of wilful ignorance and moral vacuity that guards Trump’s fragile ego – it seemed to capture in one adept symbol the public’s disdain for a man who might be beyond reason but, as it turned out, was not beyond mockery.

It was suddenly everywhere: Farage talked about it on LBC; journalists asked the American ambassador about it; and even Trump himself mentioned it in an interview with the Sun, saying, “I guess when they put out blimps … to make me feel unwelcome, [there’s] no reason for me to go to London.”

Between that and the tens of thousands of diverse people who poured on to London’s streets – on a working day – in one of the biggest demonstrations since 2003’s Stop the War march, you’d be forgiven for wondering if the sexual predator-in-chief might just have got the message.

But it seems he hasn’t. In a fortnight’s time Trump will be returning to the UK to take up the official invitation of a full state visit.

With political fatigue reigning over the general public – and with so many progressive organisers exhausted by the relentless campaigning demanded by a social and ecological reality that threatens the lives and wellbeing of almost everyone – the task of standing up once again to Trump and his politics might feel overwhelming. But it is not optional.

There is no one who signifies the trashing of morals and the abuse of every power to hand, in service of a blindingly arrogant, deceitful and cowardly self-interest, more than Trump. But he is more than a signal. For the communities thrown under the bus by Trumpism and its supporters, his policies mean separation from family, climate breakdown, lives cut short by gun violence and a lack of healthcare.

That is why we are asking the public to help Trump Baby fly once again. But first (somewhat ironically), we need to do a deal.

Related: Rich white men rule America. How much longer will we tolerate that for? | Nathan Robinson

Flying an inflatable was only ever meant to cut the president down to size, we always knew that it needed to form part of a more active resistance to Trump’s policies. So while Trump Baby may well lay claim to being the most politically impactful inflatable of all time, we recognise that is limited, and we can do so much more with it. That’s where you come in.

We’ve identified six organisations working across Islamophobia, misogyny, the climate crisis, abortion rights and migrants’ rights which need that support. Groups such as the Sunrise Movement in the USA which is pushing for a Green New Deal, Jawaab which is building a movement against Islamophobia, and reproductive rights group Planned Parenthood. We’re asking everyone to help meet a £30,000 fund-raising target to channel real resources in to protecting the people in Trump’s sights. Trump Baby started as a bit of fun, but we are deadly serious about supporting communities and campaigns in need of our solidarity, assistance and love.

If we hit that target by 3 June – the day of Trump’s arrival – then the very next day Trump Baby will fly. And Trump Baby must fly.

• Nona Hurkmans is a spokeswoman for the Trump Baby team