Anti-Trump Activist Behind Burning Cross That Sparked MAGA Blame

A 21-year-old leftist college student is in custody after admitting to burning a cross in Chicago’s Grant Park, saying it was a protest against the Trump administration — an act that sparked outrage from Democrats who initially called it the “seeds of racism and fascism.”

The incident first flared up on June 9. A disturbing video showed a wooden cross burning at Grant Park in Chicago. Firefighters extinguished the flames and police released photos of a “person of interest” fleeing the scene, per ABC 7.

With no suspect in custody, Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a potential presidential contender, rushed to judgment. 

“The fact that it even occurred at all speaks to what happens when the seeds of racism and fascism grow unchecked in our country,” Pritzker said, appearing to blame the arson on the political Right. “The threats are real. And in times like these, it’s easy to fall prey to despair, to think that the fight for justice is just too costly to engage in, that the mountain is too high to climb and the path is too narrow to navigate.”

Then came the twist. 

On Monday, NBC Chicago identified University of Illinois Chicago senior Merlin Lu as the suspect in the cross-burning arson, who admitted to constructing and burning the cross and placing a red hat — symbolizing MAGA hats — on top in a protest against the Trump White House.

For decades, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), a white supremacist group, used cross burnings to intimidate black communities. 

“How did you land on a burning cross?” reporter Chuck Goudie asked.

“Just it came up to my head one day. I wanted to find something that I could do by myself, like no organization, no friends,” Lu said. “I did know about this historical relevance beforehand, but I didn’t know the severity, how racially motivated it may seem from what I did.” 

pic.twitter.com/8VGIZPhP4U

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 16, 2026

Last week, Lu sent a scripted video to the local NBC affiliate, claiming responsibility for the cross burning. In his statement, he made alarming comments about President Donald Trump.

“I don’t want to wait till his term ends,” he said. “I don’t wanna wait until he may or may not get impeached. I want him gone right now.”

“On that video, are you threatening him?” Goudie asked. 

“No,” Lu replied. 

Goudie said back: “You say that you think he should be brought to an end.”

“I think no, I said, I said he deserves to stand trial to the American people,” Lu responded.

Goudie pressed again: “You use the word end.”

“That’s what I mean. By end, I don’t mean like a civil war, if that’s the imagery that you’re trying to imagine,” Lu said. 

The college senior said he was trying to send a message to Trump and what he called “MAGA Christian nationalist supporters.” 

“He’s just scamming people,” Lu said. “And I think that’s a great reflection of how this country works right now, where money controls everything. Money has power over health care, money has power over transportation.” 

Even with Lu in custody and his intentions known, Mayor Brandon Johnson said the incident is “a painful reminder of how hatred towards black Americans still permeates in our society.”

 The FBI is investigating to determine whether the arson amounts to a hate crime.

Brandon Johnson is asked about the guy who set up the burning cross in Chicago:

“It’s a painful reminder of how hatred towards black Americans still permeates in our society.”

It was actually an Asian socialist’s protest against MAGA. Other than all of that, dead on, Mr Mayor. pic.twitter.com/d8gIM4RCJV

— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) June 16, 2026