by Liza Donnelly
January 23, 2024
Waiting on the results of the New Hampshire primary, I thought, what’s really bothering me about this election? Lots of things, but one is the blind following of Trump; it really perplexes me. So I tried to think of a visual to express my utter confoundment. Those who now support him think, he’ll fix the broken economy, he knows what he’s doing, he’s strong, he will keep us safe (i.e. keep immigrants out), or “he cares for us/me.” “He understands me.” GOP politicians who fall in line are simply doing so because the want power, lacking any sense of moral compass. Trump is such a master at manipulating people, it’s frightening. Is this really our country?
Trump is a malicious pied piper. We all vaguely know the tale of the pied piper, but I looked it up to be sure. The Meriam-Webster dictionary defines the pied piper as “one that offers strong but delusive enticement.” And then of course I added to the imagery by making the MAGA followers sheep. I could have added a lot more sheep, of course. I even considered having dollar signs coming out of the flute, but that’s not quite right…although I think many follow him because they think he’s successful when in fact he has simply lied and manipulated to make it appear he’s rich. Anyway, since when do we care if a leader is rich?! That money rules in this country, over democracy, is beyond worrisome
I really wish Trump does very poorly tonight. Right now, it’s difficult to know...
[Seeing Things is a reader-supported publication on Substack]
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Liza Donnelly is an American cartoonist and writer, best known for her work in The New Yorker since 1982, the author of fifteen books and an accomplished public speaker.
