This political cartoon was created by Clay Bennett of Chattanooga, Tennessee for the Times Free Press. It is one of Bennett’s hundreds of political cartoons. This particular one was published on February 17th. This was the day after Trump gave his first press conference as president of the United States. The cartoon depicts the press conference, but Trump himself is lying on a couch in front of the microphone as if he were speaking to a therapist. Meanwhile, the audience is furiously taking notes. This cartoon is commenting on Trump’s behavior at the conference and stating it was similar to the behavior of someone who should see a therapist.
The metaphor of Trump as a therapist’s patient is the result of a few interactions he had at the press conference with the audience. One of the most notable ones was when Trump responded to a question by stating that his victory in the presidential race was the biggest since Ronald Reagan’s. An audience member was quick to reference Obama’s victory, which was by a much larger margin than Trump’s. Trump, who has seldom been confronted about his inaccurate statements, then doubles down by stating that it was the biggest republican victory since Ronald Reagan. The audience member refutes this as well by referencing George H. W. Bush’s victory, which was also larger than Trump’s. Trump then responds by saying that someone told him his was the biggest and that is why he thought it was the biggest. This pattern of denial and dishonesty is somewhat reminiscent of a psychopath and is why Bennett felt the need to depict Trump in a therapist’s couch.
If the intention of the author had been to make Trump seem psychotic, then it was unsuccessful. It does not add to the context in which it was created. If, however, the author intended to simply mock Trump, he had more success in doing so. The cartoon helps to immortalize a moment of madness from an event that put it on display.
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