EXCLUSIVE

Trump Star Vandals Austin Clay & James Otis Finally Meet

The 2 guys who took a crack at demolishing President Trump's Hollywood Walk of Fame star came face-to-face this weekend, and some wisdom was imparted ... TMZ has learned.

Austin Clay -- the latest Trump star vandal -- met up with his predecessor, James Otis, Saturday at the Polo Lounge inside the Beverly Hills Hotel to break bread (not concrete) over lunch. The meeting lasted about 2 hours, with 10-15 people total in attendance.

TMZ.com

Sources who were present tell us James mostly talked to Austin about how to protect himself legally after being arrested last week for pummeling the star with a pickax -- much like James did in 2016. We're told James wanted to give Austin advice on how to navigate the criminal justice system for the best outcome, seeing how he's gone through it himself.

Aside from the heart-to-heart, we're told James and Austin really hit it off -- laughing in each other's company and posing for photo-ops together. Although James didn't end up paying for Austin's $20k bail, it looks like they're true kindred spirits in bashing 45.

As we reported ... Austin says he doesn't regret the bang-up job he did on Trump's star -- which will remain in place despite all the violence and vandalism it's seen in recent months.

Click here for info about our online advertising practices.