Again, No Surprise: Trump Uses Women

I often get asked if the cartoons in The New Yorker relate to the articles that surround them. They do not; in fact, it’s someone’s job at the magazine to make sure the cartoons don’t. That said, the drawing above is not supposed to be related to anything in my writing below, although you might think so!

On Tuesday night, Virigina voters narrowly approved a redistricting plan that could boost Democrats’ chances of winning four House seats in the midterms. It was a blow to Trump and Republicans. Hopeful.

Supporters of Trump, and the man himself, immediately cried that the vote was rigged. And they sued Virginia, of course. He wrote on social media:

“In addition to everything else, the language on the Referendum was purposefully unintelligible and deceptive. As everyone knows, I am an extraordinarily brilliant person, and even I had no idea what the hell they were talking about in the Referendum, and neither do they! Let’s see if the Courts will fix this travesty of ‘Justice.’”

Trump is ordering the Navy to attack any boats in the Strait of Hormuz he says are laying mines. In the same breath he says the “US has total control of the Strait and Iran doesn’t know who its leader is.” He said US minesweepers were working “at a tripled up level” (Trumpspeak at its best) to clear any mines from the waters.

On social media, he posted:

“Iran is having a very hard time figuring out who their leader is! They just don’t know! The infighting is between the “Hardliners,” who have been losing BADLY on the battlefield, and the “Moderates,” who are not very moderate at all (but gaining respect!), is CRAZY! We have total control over the Strait of Hormuz. No ship can enter or leave without the approval of the United States Navy. It is “Sealed up Tight,” until such time as Iran is able to make a DEAL!!! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

A Navy Secretary was forced out this week after only 13 months on the job. In the middle of war. Not a good look. Apparently Phelan designed a big ship for Trump’s “Golden Fleet” in order to curry Trump’s favor, but Hegseth and others don’t like it and the conflict forced the secretary to resign. Phelan, a wealthy financier, was one of several businessmen tapped for top Pentagon posts by Trump. What a mess.

I know we are not surprised about this next story, but I have to mention it. Yesterday, the championship women’s tennis team from Georgia was invited to the White House to meet with Trump. He only shook the hands of the men (“administration officials” is all I know about them) and then all the men stood in front of the women, partially obscuring them. But what reallys stands out to me in the photo is that the women look as if they are objects.

I can’t even.

He uses women. And we suspect worse.

Below is a drawing I did in the first year or so of Trump’s first stint at the White House. At the time, I was drawing him in short pants because I believe him to be a schoolyard bully. He’s much more than that we now know.

I hope all is well in your world as we head to the weekend. I will post a Deeper Seeing for paid subscribers tomorrow. Something about cartoons!

Thanks for being here, see you then.