Spirited political debate at one California college now seems to come with a stick and a piñata. Video circulating online shows a blindfolded participant at Contra Costa College in San Pablo, California, whacking a piñata made to resemble President Donald Trump until its head flies off. Another person then hoists the headless figure into the air as people nearby cheer.
The footage was reportedly [1] recorded months ago but surfaced this week. A college counselor appeared at the event, according to reports. Contra Costa College said it does not “condone or allow violent political rhetoric” and said the matter was addressed as a personnel matter.
SCOOP: We just received videos of a disturbing event that took place on campus at Contra Costa College in CA
Students were directed to hit a Trump piñata until they decapitated it. Lorena Gonzalez, a counselor at the college, appeared to be overseeing it. After beheading the… pic.twitter.com/q18DThkOQE [2]
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) September 15, 2026 [3]
The imagery is especially jarring considering Trump has survived several assassination attempts.
A piñata obviously isn’t an assassination attempt. But celebrating the simulated decapitation of a sitting president? That imagery isn’t new. Comedian Kathy Griffin infamously went there in 2017, posing with a bloody prop made to resemble President Trump’s severed head.
Political disagreement is one thing. Cheering while someone knocks the head off an effigy of the president is something else entirely. After a president has already been targeted by would-be assassins, perhaps cheering while his likeness is beaten and beheaded isn’t the political message a college should be eager to tolerate without strong repercussions.