After buying Trump's campaign bus off of Craigslist, two artists turned it into a moving mockery of the man

In the midst of the Republican National Convention, an out-of-the-ordinary Donald Trump campaign bus will roll into Cleveland.

Rather than support the presidential candidate, this bus mocks him and his personal brand. It's decked out in slogans like 'Make Fruit Punch Great Again' and 'Hasta la vista, Donny' and acts as a moving art installation driven by its creators, performance art duo Mary Mihelic and David Gleeson. 

Mihelic and Gleeson, who refer to themselves as t.Rutt, have been traveling across the United States in the bus, which they purchased off of Craigslist in late September.

"This whole endeavor is about being in the middle of the confusion and extreme emotional environment that Trump keeps stoking, to his apparently continued advantage," Gleeson told Business Insider.

Here's the inside story of how Mihelic and Gleeson purchased the bus and a look into their cross-country adventures.

When Mihelic was watching "The Rachel Maddow Show," she heard a Trump campaign bus was being sold on Craigslist in Des Moines, Iowa. She immediately dialed her friend David Gleeson, who flew to Iowa and met the sellers. 36 hours and $14,000 later, Mihelic and Gleeson had their very own Donald Trump-style transportation.

Mary Mihelic and David Gleeson

Gleeson and Mihelic purchased the bus from a group of guys who used the vehicle for bachelor parties. So when the artists obtained the bus, it came equipped with a stripper pole and reinforced tables for women to dance on.

Mary Mihelic and David Gleeson

The bus exterior is now plastered with slogans that, upon first glance, seem pro-Trump. But with a closer look, you'll notice the bus is actually mocking Trump, with slogans like "Women Trump Trump," "Make Fruit Punch Great Again," and "T.Rump," a play on the presidential candidate's last name. The back of the bus also says "Make America Great Again" in Arabic.


Mary Mihelic and David Gleeson
Passerby can also see and use the Manhood Measuring Station.

Mary Mihelic and David Gleeson

Mihelic does a performance piece called "Desecration" from inside the bus where she embroiders American flags with Trump quotes. "It’s a wonderful comment on whether what he says fits with American ideals," Gleeson says.

Mary Mihelic and David Gleeson

Meanwhile, Gleeson performs “Open Carry: The Right to Bear Art,” in which he carries a six-foot long paint brush with a scope attached. "We use it as a way to indicate the importance of art taking aim and focus in these moments of great social and political turmoil," Gleeson told Business Insider.

Mary Mihelic and David Gleeson
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