In the face of the ongoing lunacy and crass stupidity of the Trump administration, how should you respond?
Grief, Anger, and Despair are indeed common and wholly justifiable.
Seeing what is happening offers no hope, but exposing it, talking about it, and mocking it does.
Here is where I think the political cartoonists have it right – mockery. As a circus of clowns, lampooning them truly is a wholly warranted response.
Within these weekly postings I take you on a tour of some of the highlights of the past week and also punctuate it all with some of the truly excellent political cartoons. The political cartoonists are the real heroes of the days we now live in.
OK, let’s dive into the past week.
Given that he has been demolishing all the presidential norms, then of course adding the demolition of parts of the White House quite naturally gets added to the list. As you are no doubt aware it is being done so that he can spend over a quarter of a billion building a grand ballroom that nobody wants and nobody asked for.
Fun fact – no construction plans have been filed for the new ballroom, he is being oh so fascist and is now just ignoring the standard requirement for approval from the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC). It is all happening without any approval or even basic oversight. Meanwhile the NCPC chair (a Trump appointee) stated that the commission does not need to approve demolition/site work. Well yes, you know how it works, if the NCPC chair said anything else he would be quickly fired and replaced with somebody else who does the bidding of the orange tyrant.
He has proceeded despite claiming he wouldn’t do what he is now doing, and yes I know, he lied, what a shocker that is. More details via the WaPo….www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202…
Can you imagine the hysteria that would be happening right now with Republicans if Obama did the exact same thing to the inside and outside of the WH that Trump is doing? It would be 24/7 on Fox for months. We all know why.
Vast sums of money have been spent on this and other projects, but they are still “fiscally conservative” when it comes to doing healthcare …
What happened to all the art, furniture and priceless historical treasures that were in the East Wing? Did Trump just give it away to his buddies? Is it at Mar-a-Lago? Did Jared and Ivana just help themselves to it? No one knows.
It truly is all oh so symbolic …
You are of course familiar with how it is all being defended.
The claim is that Omaha spent $376 Million doing renovations. That comes via TRump sycophants like Jesse Watters of Fox News.
One problem — The Obama renovations were approved by Congress after a BUSH administration report said they were necessary: www.snopes.com/news/2025/10…
Now for the good bit, the political cartoonists have of course been inspired …
Rob Rogers – The demolition of the White House is a fitting metaphor for how Trump is destroying our entire democratic system. Bulldoze first, ask questions later. And the GOP is too weak or cowardly to stop him. #WhiteHouse #EastWing #ballroom #Trump #demolition #democracy #autocracy #despot
As for the name of that Ballroom, you know how Trump does everything. Reporting from reliable sources says he’s going to do something outrageous/ridiculous. He immediately claims it’s fake news. Then a few days or weeks later he does exactly what was originally reported.
Some cartoonists have faced a bit of a challenge.
He makes a good point.
Let’s also get into that alternative metaphor because this does not need not be a binary choice, we can roll with both.
Trump Shitting on Everybody
The fake AI that Trump posted last week of him dressed as a King and shitting on everybody from a jet has also inspired the political cartoonists. It is a confession from him regarding what he really thinks of everybody, and is oh so symbolic of all that he is doing.
Lalo Alcaraz – Trump’s AI Poop Jet Bomber Explained. The technology used here is fascinating, folks! Please share! #NoKings
Nick Anderson
Trump’s blatant Corruption and Grifting
We also learned this past week that he is awarding himself tons of cash …
It all comes with a pice tag and you will be picking it up …
Trump The Dictator
Speaker of the house, Mike (Moses) Johnson, continues to defend the utter indefensible …
Making Argentina Great again …
The people who teach history are well aware that you can’t appease dictators …
- Appeasement only feeds their insatiable hunger for power. Kudos to these universities for standing up to Trump’s demands.
- Link to Reuters story here.
Here comes another utterly pointless war …
- If you need to understand what is really going on then you do not need to think too hard. It’s not drugs. Venezuela has the world largest proven oil reserves and its biggest customer is China.
- Let’s also not forget his comment to Zelensky a while back: “So you don’t have elections when you’re at war? Interesting.”
Trump The Pimp
Trump Lawfare
Lindsey Halligan who is doing his bidding is not doing so well in the eyes of Trump officials …
For this next one some are still taking a stance. In all probability she will be fired and replaced with some unqualified Trump flunky hack who will do what they’re told.
Multiple layers of Lunacy and utter incompetence
You know it’s bad when this is like the 4th or 5th worst Republican scandal of the day.
- Everything about this is both deeply shocking and also highly suspicious.
- Side note: Yes this guy represents Uvalde, and yes he voted against gun control measures.
Actions really do have consequences …
Listen, we can’t send this guy enough of our money. Most trustworthy investment ever.
What could possibly go wrong with this move …
Alex Jones’s InfoWars is now part of the new Pentagon Press Corps.
The Reagan people are trying to help Trump but they can’t change what Reagan said
- Link here
- Quote: “Multiple Trump administration appointees and others close to the president say Halligan is behaving in a way that all but guarantees she is one of the first people subpoenaed when Democrats regain control of Congress or the Department of Justice. “This trainwreck is going to be the most subpoenaed person in not too long,”
Of course, that’s not what Zohran was saying. He was pointing out what was obviously true to anyone alive then – there was a big backlash against Muslim-Americans and anyone with an Arab-sounding name right after 9/11. But Vance has to be an asshole 24/7 for his MAGA troll fans.
They are—candidly—utterly mad. They’re also in charge right now.
Because ballrooms don’t pay for themselves …
Guilty of the “crime” of being brown …
Canada is Pushing Back with help from Ronald Reagan
There is no ducking the observation that it really is pretty wild that the Republican Party apparently now hates Ronald Reagan — and everything he stood for — and is actively trying to destroy his actual legacy.
RFK Jnr
Here is his latest “bright” idea …
Gaza
No peace in our times …
Gestapo Updates
Christian Nationalists
The nuttier right-wing religious fanatics within the MAGA cult are as always doing their thing, and so here are a few samples from the past week …
Peter Michaels claims that participants in the “No Kings” protests “are not interested in protesting kings and defending democracy. In truth, they are more interested in tearing down the United States, Christianity especially”: “They rebel like the devil did against order, against hierarchy, and against the immutable fact that Christ is King not only over each of them but also over society by natural right.“
- I’d place good money on a bet that many of those that participated are practising Christians who actually follow the teachings of Jesus and so are a stark contract to Peter here. I would win that bet.
- Sorry Peter, the US literally started by saying ‘no kings.’ It’s kind of the whole US brand.
Chad Connely asserts that Charlie Kirk was “the leading conservative icon of this century and maybe one of the best evangelists to ever live in America.”
- Kirk’s actual contribution is that his words and actions motivated some to totally reject evangelicalism as a nutty cult, but honestly, overall either way he was really not all that influential at all.
- Prometheus has granted me that same right. The Greek mythology that Prometheus comes from is older than the beliefs that Ed clings to.
Oklahoma state Sen. Shane Jett declares that “if you want to look at what a government looks like when it builds its foundation on the Hebrew republic and acknowledges God Almighty as its foundation, then look no further than the government that was created by we the people.“
- If America’s a ‘Hebrew republic,’ does that mean Congress has to take a 40-year recess in the desert before passing a budget?
- Calling Israel a republic is like calling the Book of Numbers a spreadsheet.
- The “crime” that makes them the “most wicked institution” was to ask for some fucking healthcare, gun control, and kindness to minorities.
- Oh, and lat’s also not forget that they also demand that the left needs to tone down the rhetoric.
It’s FFRF who speaks the truth …
Weirdest of the Weird
As usual, Shane continues to win the weekly weirdness award.
MAGA cultist pastor Shane Vaughn, a pastor who was previously convicted of fraud while a pastor and went to jail for that, claimed this past week that the Founding Fathers intentionally structured the Constitution so that one day a “strong man” like Trump would rise up and become king: “They would all get what they secretly wanted from the beginning: a monarchy.“
- Imagine thinking George Washington said ‘No kings’ but secretly meant ‘Except Donald’
- Washington’s farewell warning about people like Donald: “The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty.“
But others are also striving for the weirdness award…
Glenn Beck says that the recent “No Kings” protests were “a deep state operation.“
- You did all get your payments for attending … right?
And of course Joel continues to be Joel by wishing peace and goodwill to all …
Even More Political Cartoons from the past week
As always, there are many more excellent cartoons.
Rob Rogers – Trump is bombing boats in the Caribbean without any actual proof that they are cartel drug-smuggling operations. This is an act of a rogue terrorist state, not a democracy. #Trump #Venezuela #Colombia #DrugTrafficking #drugs #war #Dictator #bombing
Media Sane-washing of Tyranny
NY Times continues to now be shite …
Slowly slowly the media falls deeper under the control of the oligarchs …
Finally
Yes this really is the official press office account for the Gov of CA. He is playing Trump at his own game …
