Protesters Confront Trump Envoy on His Superyacht “Diplomacy” Tour

Tilman Fertitta, Texas billionaire and President Donald Trump’s ambassador to Italy, is conducting a two-month tour along the Italian coast on his luxury, 384-foot superyacht, supposedly to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States.

The voyage has not been well received.

The so-called “Coastal Diplomacy 250” tour, which began last month, has made a handful of its 13 planned stops. But Fertitta’s arrival in Venice on Friday, scheduled to overlap with a major Venetian festival, was all but smooth sailing. The ostentatious display was met with hundreds of protesters.

Demonstrators carried a banner stating “Venezia non si USA,” a double entendre combining the acronym USA with the statement “Venice is not to be used.” Organizers made the sign the length of Fertitta’s yacht, they said, to match “the dimensions of his arrogance,” according to the Associated Press.

Footage shows demonstrators delivering remarks against the Trump administration for promoting oligarchy, bombing Iran, and supporting genocide in Gaza, among other misdeeds. After a brief clash with riot police, protesters can be heard shouting “Shame!” at the authorities.

Protesters carried Palestinian flags, inflatable pool floats, and signs and T-shirts bearing anti-Trump messages. A sampling of those messages included: “Party Yes, American Arrogance No,” “No Kings, No Oligarchs,” “Trump Voters are Illegal Immigrants Here,” “Make America Read Again,” and “We are Not Trump’s Slaves and You Are Not the Emperors of the World.” ...