Two Trespassers Climb to Top of Empire State Building
Was this a reckless security threat or a daring act of performative art?
Image credit: Tommy DiDario via X
The Spin
Right narrative
This was clearly a frightening security threat, and the reckless spectacle came at a cost. The duo's unauthorized ascent, bypassing security on a top terror target, forced police and emergency responders to treat it as a potential crisis, diverting resources during a packed week of major events. The stunt deserves meaningful legal consequences.
Left narrative
This was a daring gesture. Every movement seemed deliberate, rehearsed, purposeful: not the reckless scrawl of destruction, but the careful staging of two people determined to turn height and danger into art. What might have looked like trespass instead unfolded like a scene from film — intentional, romantic and unmistakably performative.