Dr Trump MD PhD
Among the art pieces I’ve worked on during quarantine is an editorial cartoon. The president has been giving all these ridiculous press conferences with himself at the narcissistic center, despite having numerous medical and science professionals, plus the administration people like Pence and Kushner who are supposedly heading the pandemic response efforts.
An image flashed through my mind, of the president pretending to be a doctor. He’s using both the mask and the stethoscope incorrectly; he’s serving his own protected ego that won’t see or hear anything from anyone else.
I’m a very amateur and untrained artist, but I was compelled to bring this vision to paper. It took me three weeks from my first rough sketch before I was ready to go public. The hands were the most challenging; I drew them more than one hundred times trying to figure out the trick.
Some features came in near the end: the lab coat (he was in a traditional suit jacket originally); the American flag backdrop; the more detailed tie patterned in colors that represent not just the USA but also Russia. I also had to complete rework the text layout once the president made his remarks about injecting disinfectant and hitting the body with powerful light as ways to kill the virus.
Usually I create art to bring myself to a more peaceful state of being, and this was no exception. The weeks-long effort brought me tranquility on a daily basis, helping me channel my resentment and disbelief about how our national leadership is acting.