A strange scene in the heart of Tehran has crowds stopping to stare, snap photos and hurl insults. Inside a jail cell, a familiar figure in a dark suit and signature red tie paces behind bars.
Some onlookers have gone beyond heckling, barking orders for the prisoner to dance. A billboard behind the spectacle adds another taunt: “It is a crime not to see this scene.”
The target of all that mockery?

President Donald Trump — or, rather, an actor wearing a realistic mask of his face. Iranian authorities have turned his likeness into a public prison spectacle, and online critics are savoring every second.
A message on a billboard behind the installation, which shows a jail cell protruding from a structure in a city square, says, “It is a crime not to see this scene.”
The actor pacing inside the cell is wearing a realistic Trump mask. He’s dressed in a dark suit and wearing Trump’s signature red tie.
Iran is well known for its propaganda against the U.S. and other enemies, and its municipal authorities are behind the campaign, according to CTV News. They said they want to remind Iranians of the government’s demands for justice.
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Social media quickly weighed in with little remorse for Iran’s depiction of Trump.
“The entire world hates his guts,” a Threads user observed. “That’s where he belongs,” another joined in. This commenter suggested, “Boy, what would we give to see him in there already.”
The installation comes as Trump unapproved and deadly war on Iran heads into a ninth month with no end in sight.
According to CBS News, Trump’s U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, is predicting the war could drag out for another year. He also said he hopes the regime “comes to the table” before that.
Without warning and without congressional approval, Trump launched military strikes on Iran on Feb. 28 without a stated objective, strategy, or endgame.
Within the first week, he cited Iran’s nuclear weapons program as the reason. He initially pointed to regime change and the country’s ballistic missile systems.
The previous summer, he declared that a 12-day war against Tehran had eliminated Iran’s nuclear capabilities. He repeated that boast for months.
After the first weeks of the war, Trump repeatedly gaslit Americans for months, repeatedly saying his war was almost over.
Within a week after Trump launched the attacks, Iran quickly closed down the critical Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime oil route.
Gas and energy prices promptly began rising, along with other fuel-related prices.
Regular unleaded is averaging $4.29 a gallon as of Friday, Oct. 23, according to Triple A. That’s more than $1.20 higher than a year ago. Diesel has increased to a staggering $6.31 a gallon. A year ago, it cost $3.63 a gallon.
Millions of Americans are struggling under high inflation and energy prices. Trump just authorized a multi-billion-dollar bailout for the country’s farmers, many of whom can’t afford to power up their farm equipment anymore.
Trump and his Vice President, JD Vance, campaigned in 2024 to lower prices “on day one” and keep the U.S. out of foreign wars. They have broken both promises, and Americans are not happy.
Voters’ anger shows up in Trump’s approval rating. The latest Reuters/Ipsos survey, conducted on Oct. 19, shows only 31 percent approve of how he’s handling the job, while 66 percent disapprove.
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‘That’s Where He Belongs’: Iran Cages Trump Lookalike as Crowd Hurls Insults, Video Shows