Political Cartoonists on facing Donald Trump

Zach Rabiroff in The Comics Journal.

Trump's ABC by Ann Telnaes

Zach Rabiroff for The Comics Journal investigates the state of political cartooning as the practitioners face a revitalized and seemingly very powerful Donald Trump who is entering his second term as President of the United States with few limits in his way. 

In a long (10,000+ words) essay Zach begins with the recent Ann Telnaes – Washington Post parting. 

He contacts cartoonists Matt Wuerker, Terry Mosher, and Wes Tyrell, and The Post’s Communications Chief Kathy Baird for their thoughts; as well as gathering post-split quotes by Ann and WaPo editor David Shipley and many editorial cartoonists from reports and social media.

In Part 2, Zach has divided the discourse into five sections, asks cartoonists Mike Luckovich, JP Trostle, and Al Goodwyn for reaction to Donald Trump being reelected to a second term.

Part 3 looks at the rise (peaked in 1984) and fall of newspapers and with that editorial cartooning. 

The drift away from print news to cable tv and the world wide web, and with it the ability to hear only what you want, to see only what you want, to read only what you want instead of multi-faceted views of the news. Steve Brodner opines on the fallout.

In Part 4 Zach talks to Tom Tomorrow, Ted Rall, and Jen Sorensen about alternatives – newspapers and cartoons. And of course how they see their positions on cartooning Trump and his second term.

Part 5 deals with the fallout and fate of N.Y. Times vs. Sullivan that rendered judgement of the defamation of public figures (“actual malice”). 

Will that settled case hold up in a MAGA America? 

Discussed are four cases: 

• Garry Trudeau and Trump (since 1987), 
• Berkeley Breathed and Trump, 
• Larry Flint and Jerry Falwell (and interviews Terry Abrahamson who wrote that Hustler parody),
• Paul Krassner and The Realist. 

Also interviewed is Justin Harrison, Senior Policy Counsel for the ACLU of New York.