What is that? Olympic Phryge confounds some, but is very French

PARIS (AP) — “Is it the Eiffel Tower?” asks a puzzled American tourist queued in front of the Paris 2024 Megastore.

To international visitors, the triangular Olympic Phryge mascot might resemble the iconic monument, a “poop emoji” — that's according to another shopper, a tongue or even, well, female anatomy. However, it rings a particular bell for the French.

It’s been over 200 years since the “bonnet phrygien” was last a common sight in the streets of Paris. Yet, the hat still carries the same revolutionary spirit it first did in 1789.

The official Olympic Phryge mascot is a nod to the Phrygian cap, an emblematic accessory of the French revolutionaries. Revived from Roman times, when freed slaves used to wear it, the revolutionaries adopted it as a testimony to their values of freedom and emancipation for both men and women.

The heritage of the French Revolution and the birth of the 1st Republic have deeply influenced the French, who now associate the Phrygian cap — and subsequently the Phryge (pronounced along the lines of “freezh”) — with its ideals.

“It’s the symbol of liberty, and it’s also a very strong message linked to the revolution that we want for those games,” declared Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris 2024 organizing committee, before the Games.

Showing a little more respect for French authorities this time, the Phryge is making its presence felt across France. Life-sized Phryges have been popping up at Olympic venues, where fans wait in line to take pictures with them. They've visited famous French monuments and even posed with foreign police officers.

The Olympic mascot is all over the Games — and, of course, the Paris 2024 official stores. It adorns mugs, caps, T-shirts, key rings and more. Within just 15 minutes of the Megastore’s opening Monday on the Champs-Élysées, tourists are already hastily lining up to snag some souvenirs.

Some, such as Kevin Cahill, brim with enthusiasm at the idea of buying “everything, everything because I’m very excited to be here.” Even though he admits he doesn't know the mascot’s symbolism, he describes it as “amazing.”

His excitement mirrors that of many others, as seen with Pierre Leonardi, who's sporting the Phrygian hat: “I wanted to wear this one today, in memory of France.”

However, not everyone is convinced by the incongruous appearance of the mascot. Before the Games, the historical symbol seemed overshadowed by its apparent resemblance to a clitoris. “We’ve published a new guide to the anatomy of the clitoris!” posted the U.K.'s Vagina Museum, along with an updated guide to the organ that includes images of the Phryge. Somewhat appropriately, condoms bearing the Olympics logo prominently feature the Phryge with a megaphone: “Score a win: Yes to consent, no to STDs.”

Whether or not the true intent of the mascot is clear to them, the tourists at the Megastore are ensuring the Olympic Phryge will make its way around the world.

Associated Press journalist Megan Janetsky contributed reporting from Paris.

For more coverage of the Paris Olympics, visit https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games.

The Olympics 2024 mascot walks at the South Paris Arena during the women's handball matches at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

The mascot for the Olympics greets fans prior to the women's Group A soccer match between Canada and New Zealand at Geoffroy-Guichard stadium during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Saint-Etienne, France. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

Olympic Phrygem, the Olympic mascot, visits the North Paris Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 27, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A fan takes a photo of a stuffed mascot in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

The surfing team from France stand with dancers and the mascot during an opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics surfing competition Friday, July 26, 2024, in Papara, Tahiti. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Olympic Phrygem, the Olympic mascot, is seen ahead of a women's Water Polo Group B preliminary match between Spain and France at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 27, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

A spectator wearing an Olympic mascot hat watches a beach volleyball match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Phryge, the Olympics 2024 mascot dances at the South Paris Arena, during the men's handball match between Denmark and Egypt at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Spectators pose with the Olympic Phryge, the mascot, ahead of rowing competitions at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 27, 2024, in Vaires-sur-Marne, France. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Phryge, the mascot of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games poses for a selfie with fans prior to a women's group B soccer match between Zambia and Australia at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Nice, France. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

The Olympic Phryge, left, the mascot, poses with Mamadou Yero Diallo in Paris, France, ahead of the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump on Thursday decried antisemitism hours after an explosive CNN report detailed how one of his allies running for North Carolina governor made a series of racial and sexual comments on a website where he also referred to himself as a “black NAZI.”

North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson vowed to remain in the race despite the report, and the Trump campaign appeared to be distancing itself from the candidate while still calling the battleground state a vital part to winning back the White House. Trump has frequently voiced his support for Robinson, who has been considered a rising star in his party despite a history of inflammatory remarks about race and abortion.

Trump did not comment on the allegations during his Thursday address to a group of Jewish donors in Washington. His campaign issued a statement about the CNN story that did not mention Robinson, saying instead that Trump “is focused on winning the White House and saving this country" and that North Carolina was a “vital part of that plan.”

Robinson's reported remarks — including a 2012 comment in which he said he preferred Adolf Hitler to the leadership in Washington — clashed with Trump's denunciations of antisemitism in Washington and his claim that Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, sympathized with enemies of Israel. The story also could threaten Trump's chances of winning North Carolina, a key battleground state, with Robinson already running well behind his Democratic opponent in public polls.

“This story is not about the governor’s race in North Carolina. It's about the presidential race," said Paul Shumaker, a Republican pollster who's worked for Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and warned that Trump could risk losing a state he won in 2016 and 2020.

“The question is going to be, does Mark Robinson cost Donald Trump the White House?” Shumaker added.

After allegations against Robinson became public, a spokesman for Harris’ campaign, Ammar Moussa, reposted on social media a photo of Trump and the embattled candidate. “Donald Trump has a Mark Robinson problem,” he wrote.

The North Carolina Republican Party issued a statement standing by Robinson, noting he “categorically denied the allegations made by CNN but that won't stop the Left from trying to demonize him via personal attacks.”

Trump has angled to make inroads among Black voters and frequently aligned himself with Robinson along the campaign trail, which has more and more frequently taken him to North Carolina. At a rally in Greensboro, he called Robinson “Martin Luther King on steroids” in reference to the civil rights leader, for his speaking ability.

Robinson has been on the trail with Trump as recently as last month, when he appeared with the GOP nominee at an event in Asheboro, North Carolina.

Recent polls of North Carolina voters show Trump and Harris locked in a close race. The same polls show Democrat Josh Stein with a roughly 10-point lead over Robinson.

Both Trump and Harris, the Democratic nominee, were making appearances meant to fire up their core supporters, with Harris participating in a livestream with Oprah Winfrey.

Trump appeared Thursday with Miriam Adelson, a co-owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks and widow of billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson.

“My promise to Jewish Americans is this: With your vote, I will be your defender, your protector, and I will be the best friend Jewish Americans have ever had in the White House,” Trump said during the donor event in Washington, titled “Fighting Anti-Semitism in America.”

“But in all fairness, I already am,” Trump added.

Trump also has been criticized for his association with extremists who spew antisemitic rhetoric such as far-right activist Nick Fuentes and rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. And when former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke endorsed Trump in 2016, Trump responded in a CNN interview that he knew “nothing about David Duke, I know nothing about white supremacists.”

But during his four years in office Trump approved a series of policy changes long sought by many advocates of Israel, such as moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognizing Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights.

In his remarks, Trump criticized Harris over the Biden administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war and for what he called antisemitic protests on college campuses and elsewhere.

“Kamala Harris has done absolutely nothing. She has not lifted a single finger to protect you or to protect your children,” Trump said. He also repeated a talking point that Jewish voters who vote for Democrats “should have their head examined.”

Multiple attendees at the event said they weren't familiar with the story about Robinson or declined to discuss it. Rep. Virginia Foxx, a conservative North Carolina Republican who was asked about the CNN report beforehand, told reporters she wasn't taking questions.

Later Thursday, Trump was scheduled to address the Israeli-American Council National Summit to honor the victims of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. That summit will also focus on the fight against antisemitism.

Harris on Thursday faced pressure from parts of her liberal base over the war. Leaders of the Democratic protest vote movement “Uncommitted" said the group would not endorse Harris for president, but also urged supporters to vote against Trump. The group, which opposes the Biden administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war, has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end to U.S. weapons transfers to Israel.

“Uncommitted” drew hundreds of thousands of votes in this year's Democratic primaries, surfacing a rift within the party. The group has warned that some Democratic voters may stay home in November, particularly in places like Michigan.

Harris’ campaign did not directly address the group’s announcement, but said in a statement that she will “continue working to bring the war in Gaza to an end in a way where Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination.”

Gomez Licon reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Associated Press writer Thomas Beaumont in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed to this report.

Dr. Miriam Adelson introduces Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump during a "Fighting Anti-Semitism in America" event, Thursday, Sept. 19 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks during a "Fighting Anti-Semitism in America" event, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Oprah Winfrey speaks before Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris joins her at Oprah's Unite for America Live Streaming event Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024 in Farmington Hills, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, center right, poses for a photograph with Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, and Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., upon her arrival at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus, Mich., enroute to join Oprah Winfrey at Oprah's Unite for America Live Streaming event Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks during a "Fighting Anti-Semitism in America" event, Thursday, Sept. 19 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks during a "Fighting Anti-Semitism in America" event, Thursday, Sept. 19 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) leadership conference, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he arrives to speak at a campaign event at Nassau Coliseum, Wednesday, Sept.18, 2024, in Uniondale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)