Old Guns N’ Roses show, where fans beat giant Trump piñata gains traction again
Photo: Reuters
A nearly decade‑old moment from a Guns N’ Roses concert in Mexico City has suddenly been gaining fresh attention online as it resurfaces amid ongoing political and cultural debate. The footage shows the legendary rock band and some members of the audience smashing and “beating up” a giant effigy of Donald Trump, a moment that at the time was seen as a provocative act of political expression and has now gone viral again on social platforms in early 2026.
The incident took place on November 30, 2016, during a show at the Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City. Frontman Axl Rose abruptly paused the set and had a massive piñata shaped like the then‑President‑elect Donald Trump lowered onto the stage. As video from the show widely circulated, Rose invited a few concertgoers onstage, handing them bats and sticks to “express yourselves however you feel,” before they and other fans set to work smashing the effigy to pieces.
Guns N' Roses concert turned into an anti-Trump concert, and they along with the some audience, hung the giant Donald Trump and beat him up. pic.twitter.com/IdCFonQ7GI
The crowd’s energy during the moment was unmistakably political. Many fans cheered and chanted as the Trump piñata lost limbs and was ultimately destroyed in a matter of seconds. Afterward, the remains and any merchandise hidden inside were tossed back into the audience before the concert continued with the band’s set.
At the time, observers noted the symbolism of the act. Trump’s 2016 campaign had drawn marked criticism in Mexico over his proposed border wall and harsh rhetoric about immigration, making the sight of concertgoers dismembering a Trump figure especially resonant in a Mexican venue.
Though the video has been online for years, it has seen a resurgence in the past week as users share it again amid broader cultural conversations. Many fans in the comment sections of reposts reacted with amusement or nostalgia, calling the moment a memorable example of how music and political sentiment can collide at live shows. Others took the revival as a pointed reminder of how polarizing figures and themes from past elections continue to echo in the present.