Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince and now Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia may receive legal immunity from a lawsuit over the murder of Saudi dissident and Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. As a candidate, Joe Biden promised to isolate MBS and turn the man into an international pariah over his role in the murder of Khashoggi, which our national intelligence believes he ordered. As president, Biden has visited MBS in Saudi Arabia and gave the guy a fist bump. Now, instead of making the murderer a pariah, he’s legitimized him… and he still hasn’t helped us out with rising gas prices.
Donald Trump, who made excuses for MBS’s murder and has hosted his golf tournaments while his son-in-law, Jared, has been gifted $2 billion from the Crown Prince, is more likely to see the inside of an American prison before the Saudi ever will. Perhaps Trump is sympathetic toward MBS because he can relate to killing people. Because of Trump’s ineptitude, mismanagement, lies, downplaying, and politicizing of the coronavirus pandemic, tens of thousands of Americans died who shouldn’t have. There is blood on both of these men’s hands.
And while MBS is being shielded from an American lawsuit over the murder of Khashoggi, Trump will now be investigated by a Special Counsel appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland.
I thought the appointment of a Special Counsel was a bad move until I saw Trump and Republicans’ reaction to it. Trump has called it “unfair” and says he won’t “partake” in it, at least not in the way he partakes with a KFC bucket.
Trump said, “For six years I have been going through this, and I am not going to go through it anymore.” The reason Trump has been “going through this” for six years is that he’s been a criminal for over six years. And guess what. He will be going through it again. And not “partake?” He barely partaked (partooked?) with the Mueller investigation and refused to sit down for an interview. I hope this Special Counsel doesn’t eat that bullshit and is tougher than Robert Mueller.
After “going through this” and being optimistic about the Mueller investigation, I’m going to withhold my enthusiasm for this one until I see something to be hopeful about.
Trump and his goons have been claiming all these investigations are political anyway, so I’d ignore all the noise they’re making now. Like MBS, Donald Trump is a criminal. Let’s at least make one of these bad guys receive justice.
Creative note: I’m leaving town tomorrow so I planned out my next three cartoons… and then Merrick Garland had to fuck all that up yesterday.
Music note: I listened to Zebra’s first album.
Signed prints: The signed prints are just $40.00 each. Every cartoon on this site is available. You can pay through PayPal. If you don’t like PayPal, you can snail mail it to Clay Jones, P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402. I can mail the prints directly to you or if you’re purchasing as a gift, directly to the person you’re gifting.
Notes on my book, Tales From The Trumpster Fire: There are 19 copies of my book in stock, which go for $45.00 each, signed. Also, I have copies of my first book from 1997, Knee-Deep in Mississippi available for $20.00.
Tip Jar: if you want to support the cartoonist, please send a donation through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com. You can also snail it to P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.
It’s after 4:00 pm on a Sunday, a day most cartoonists don’t work, and I already wrote a blog on this subject, so you’re not getting much of one today. I have a dinner invitation to meet in 45 minutes and I’d like to make it. Enjoy the cartoon, but…
You wonder how Trump can sell out our country to Russia and Saudi Arabia and then you remember this is an asshole burying the mother of three of his five children at his golf course for a tax break. Keep in mind that he announced her passing in a fundraising email to his supporters. My ex-wife died, no. Not Melania, mother of my fifth kid. No, not Marla, mother of my fourth, Ivana, the mother of my first three, one of them being named Ivanka. I’m sad but a small donation to my super PAC would cheer me up.
When did this shit stop being weird?
I get the impression Trump is being cheap for burying her at Bedminster because he gets the tax break, doesn’t have to shell out for a burial plot, he already has a ground crew that has to cut the grass, and there’s not much of a marker for her grave. There’s just a plate in the ground with her name, birth date, and death date. The fucker couldn’t even shell out for a proper inscription. Even the flowers on the grave look like they were bought at 7/11. I have friends who’ve done more for their dog’s burial plot than Trump did for the mother of three of his kids.
And now, I’m going to start a rumor that Jimmy Hoffa is buried at Bedminster.
Creative note: I wrote this blog yesterday and was so quick to take a shower and make my appointment, that I forgot to click “publish.” Oops!
Music note: More Kaiser Chiefs plus The Killers.
Signed prints: The signed prints are just $40.00 each. Every cartoon on this site is available. You can pay through PayPal. If you don’t like PayPal, you can snail mail it to Clay Jones, P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402. I can mail the prints directly to you or if you’re purchasing as a gift, directly to the person you’re gifting.
Notes on my book, Tales From The Trumpster Fire: There are 19 copies of my book in stock, which go for $45.00 each, signed. Also, I have copies of my first book from 1997, Knee-Deep in Mississippi available for $20.00.
Tip Jar: if you want to support the cartoonist, please send a donation through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com. You can also snail it to P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.
Presidential candidates often make promises they don’t live up to after elections. Take the capital of Israel for example.
For decades, U.S. presidential candidates promised to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the U.S. embassy to the holy city from Tel Aviv. But reality would arrive after they were sworn in and they’d ignore the promise. Most nations don’t recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel since the Palestinians also claim it. While there are multiple resolutions from the United Nations, the European Union, and organized middle east nations, most of them come down to stating the designation of the city hasn’t been resolved, so no recognition. It would take a real dumbass to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move our embassy there as it’d be a huge obstacle to ever bringing peace between Israel and Palestine. Donald Trump is a huge dumbass. While he kept a campaign promise others did not, he made it clear that the United States, while he was president (sic), didn’t care about the Palestinian people.
President Obama promised to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, where we have detained accused terrorists without granting them rights like lawyers, trials, representation, etc, etc. It’s still unclear why Obama never shut that shit down. In fact, it’s still in operation today. We are still holding prisoners from 2001 who have never had a trial or even formal charges.
This brings us to President Biden’s 2020 campaign promise of refusing to meet with Mohammed Bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, and his pledge to make that nation a “pariah.”
But reality makes not having diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia damn near impossible.
Biden ignored Saudi Arabia for the first year of his presidency. He wouldn’t take their phone calls. We still don’t have a confirmed ambassador to the nation. But, Saudi Arabia has been an ally to the U.S. for decades. We fought against Iraq together in the early 90s. Saudi Arabia is an enemy of Iran which puts them on the same side as Israel, who’s historically an enemy to every Arab state. They’re a huge customer of U.S. weapons which we hope they use against Iran. And then there’s the oil. Saudi Arabia sits on top of the world’s second-largest oil reserves (Venezuela is first) and they are the second-largest producer (we’re number one).
This is also a time when gas prices are high. They would probably come down if Saudi Arabia increases production, which Donald Trump encouraged them to decrease. See? We’re still repairing all the damage from Trump’s fuckery. And because of that, President Biden had to fist bump a murderer.
President Biden said he would make Saudi Arabia a “pariah.” Then said he would visit the nation but not sit down with MBS. Then, he visited the nation, exchanged fist bumps with MBS, and sat down with him.
U.S. intelligence says Mohammed Bin Salman is directly responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist for the Washington Post and under the protection of the United States. He was butchered inside Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Turkey by men who directly work for MBS.
MBS says he’s innocent but it’s really hard to make that argument when the murder was committed inside his embassy. In addition to the murder, Saudi Arabia has a terrible record on human rights. While celebrating that women can now drive cars in the nation, they’re still holding public executions. On March 12 of this year, they held a public execution of 81 people.
When Biden gave the fist bump to MBS, he legitimized him. It was like that time Donald Trump saluted a North Korean general. President Biden didn’t just give legitimacy to Saudi Arabia but also to MBS personally. They sat together under a giant portrait of the king, but the king was nowhere to be seen. Saudi Arabia is MBS’ nation. It’s under his control. So, nobody gets murdered in a Saudi Arabian embassy without MBS giving the order. Biden gave that guy a fist bump. Giving a fist bump says “you’re cool.”
Fred Ryan, the publisher of The Washington Post, which employed Khashoggi, called the exchange “shameful,” and a “display of “intimacy and comfort that delivers to MBS the unwarranted redemption he has been desperately seeking.”
Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi’s fiance tweeted from his account, “Hey @POTUS, Is this the accountability you promised for my murder?”
Biden claimed he brought up the topic of Khashoggi’s murder to MBS, saying, “I raised it at the top of the meeting, making it clear what I thought of it at the time, and what I thought of it now.” Biden claimed“He basically said that he was not personally responsible for it, and he took action against those who were responsible.”
That may not be on the same level as Donald Trump standing next to Vladimir Putin saying the Russian leader told it wasn’t Russia who meddled in the 2016 election and, “I don’t see any reason why it would be,” but it’s close.
The lasting damage of this is to President Biden’s word. He says he’ll make Russia a pariah and he’s done a good job of doing that, but Vladimir Putin also knows it’s a promise Biden can break. Putin controls a large nation sitting on a lot of oil too.
Between Donald Trump “falling in love” with Kim Jong Un and President Biden fist-bumping Mohammed Bin Salman, I’m tired of American presidents cozying up to murderers.
Signed prints: The signed prints are just $40.00 each. Every cartoon on this site is available. You can pay through PayPal. If you don’t like PayPal, you can snail mail it to Clay Jones, P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402. I can mail the prints directly to you or if you’re purchasing as a gift, directly to the person you’re gifting.
Notes on my book, Tales From The Trumpster Fire: There are 19 copies of my book in stock, which go for $45.00 each, signed. Also, I have copies of my first book from 1997, Knee-Deep in Mississippi available for $20.00.
Tip Jar: if you want to support the cartoonist, please send a donation through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com. You can also snail it to P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.
I believe in this cartoon and I stand by it, but I’m a little uncomfortable with it. It’s important for me to call out the truth, and that is there are a lot of Democrats unhappy with Joe Biden. I’m uncomfortable giving them any support at this time, but mostly I’m uncomfortable that this cartoon is one a lot of MAGAts will love. Ugh. MAGAts.
The one thing I’m not cool with is that I know Biden isn’t going to push hard against the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi while in the presence of Mohammed bin Salman.
During his 2020 presidential campaign, then Candidate Biden pledged to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” and refused once in office to speak with Mohammed, seeking to punish him with isolation. Now, he’s about to sit down for a chit-chat with the defacto ruler of Saudi Arabia and the man U.S. intelligence says ordered the hit on Khashoggi’s life.
Despite what Republicans are saying, Biden is not going to Saudi Arabia to ask them to sell us oil. We have plenty of oil here. What he’s going to push for is an increase in their production because despite what Republicans believe and think they know, gas prices are an international issue, not just domestic. Unfortunately, the reality is that President Biden has to sit with a murderer to do this.
When asked if he’s going to bring up the murder of Khashoggi to MBS, Biden took a walk around the question without answering it saying, “My views on Khashoggi have been made absolutely, positively clear. I have never been quiet about talking about human rights.” He said that his “position on Khashoggi is so clear — if anyone doesn’t understand it in Saudi Arabia or anywhere else, then they haven’t been around for a while.”
That means he’s not going to bring it up. Biden is going to be somewhere between confronting MBS and doing Trump’s sword dance with the murderer.
Biden’s real trouble isn’t with Jamal Khashoggi’s killer. It’s with voters and his own Democratic Party.
Inflation is not Joe Biden’s fault, but Biden is president and while it’s unfair to blame him for rising prices (blame Trump), it’s his job to get them down. Other voters want him to do something to save abortion rights but there’s very little a president can do to walk around Supreme Court verdicts. It will take Congress to pass abortion rights in every state, which they will not do because there are too many of them who are cowardly jackasses. But, when/if the GOP retakes Congress, you can expect their first agenda will be to ban abortion in every state and territory. Remember, everything Republicans say are lies, including “state rights.”
A lot of Democrats want a different nominee in 2024 and for Biden to ride off into the sunset when his first term is done.
Biden says Democrats want him to run and cited a New York Times poll saying 92 percent of Democrats would vote for him. What he left out is important and that is 92 percent of Democrats would vote for him if the election were held today and it was between him and Donald Trump.
That’s like asking a Democrat if the election were held today, who would he or she vote for if the only choices were Joe Biden and a moldy old racist pro- birther dishwashing sponge covered in ketchup, castor oil, fish scales, and orange pubic hair. At the very least, eight percent of Democrats would have to think about it.
While 92 percent of Democrats would choose Biden over Trump today, 64 percent of Democrats want a nominee who is not named Joe Biden. And 94 percent of Democrats between the ages of 18 and 29 definitely want someone other than Biden to be the nominee.
Let’s face facts, Joe is old. Yeah, he’s in better shape than Donald Trump. He can jog, ride a bike, climb stairs, and go from one room to another without the use of a golf cart, but he’s still old. President Biden will be 81 years old on election day in 2024. Look for Republicans, including Donald Trump, to make a lot of noise about this even though Trump himself will be 77 on election day.
And that’s the danger Democrats face in 2024. What if Trump is not the Republican nominee? Sure, despite President Biden having an approval rating of around 39 percent at this moment (the worst of any elected president at this point in his presidency since the end of World War II), most Americans will still choose him over Donald Trump, who never got above 50 percent approval during his four years of tyranny. But, what happens if Republicans nominate a younger shinier racist in 2024? What if they choose a guy, while just as narcissistic, petty, and hateful as Donald Trump, isn’t as stupid, is literate, and doesn’t spew as much racist gibberish (his racism comesin loud and clear)? What if Republicans nominate Ron DeSantis? Yeah, ew that guy.
If Republicans had to choose today, they’d pick Trump over DeSantis. But, there is a primary contest and 77-year-old Trump may not be in physical shape for such a long grueling campaign. DeSantis is. Republicans may find a way to change their minds after several debates between the two. While the cult belongs to Trump, keep in mind that Republicans are not loyal and are extremely forgetful. The same former Never Trumpers who swore they’d never back Trump, then backed him, could turn back around and support a new guy and say they never did like Trump to begin with. Do you really believe Ted Cruz is a man of his word?
And don’t forget the stupidy of the American voter. Look at Virginia. My state went strongly for President Biden, Hillary Clinton, and twice for President Obama, then elected dog-whistling lying Glenn Youngkin. Voters are stupid and forgetful, especially the moderates.
While Republicans will always vote for racist candidates, you can trick moderates into doing so. Ron DeSantis will run on some parents’ rights bullshit and dog-whistle his ass off about Critical Race Theory and convince a majority of moderate voters to vote for him. then about a week after the election, all those moderates will go, “Oh yeah….that’s why we don’t vote for Republicans.”
Can President Biden and his 39-percent approval beat a dog-whistling Ron DeSantis in 2024, or do we need to nominate someone younger?
Let’s say yes, and if that’s the case…who?
Music note: I listened to the Foo Fighters’ “Wasting Light” album and some Evanesence while drawing this.
Signed prints: The signed prints are just $40.00 each. Every cartoon on this site is available. You can pay through PayPal. If you don’t like PayPal, you can snail mail it to Clay Jones, P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402. I can mail the prints directly to you or if you’re purchasing as a gift, directly to the person you’re gifting.
Notes on my book, Tales From The Trumpster Fire: There are 19 copies of my book in stock, which go for $45.00 each, signed. Also, I have copies of my first book from 1997, Knee-Deep in Mississippi available for $20.00.
Tip Jar: if you want to support the cartoonist, please send a donation through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com. You can also snail it to P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.
Saudi Arabia is attempting to repair its reputation with the world after decades of bloody human rights violations. The future king of the nation, Mohammed bin Salman, is directly responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi national who was a journalist for The Washington Post and under U.S. protection. So, what’s the best way for a nation with decades of human rights violations to make friends with the rest of the planet again? Stop abusing human rights? Of course not. No, the best way is to engage in sports. Saudi Arabia is “sportwashing” its reputation.
The oil-rich kingdom has bought an English Premier League soccer team, Newcastle United. They built a new race track in Jeddah and now have the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, a Formula One racing event. World Wrestling Entertainment has been holding pay-per-view events in Saudi Arabia, even allowing the kingdom to decide if women can perform and if they do, how they dress. And, now the kingdom has golf.
A lot of people are upset over Saudi Arabia becoming involved in international sports. Mostly, they’re upset that so many people have a price to look away from human rights violations. The PGA is very upset over the new golf league, though their anger is probably less about human rights and more about competition.
The PGA has banned golfers who choose to play for LIV. That didn’t stop golf legend Greg Norman from becoming LIV’s CEO.
Another golf legend, Phil Mickelson, criticized Saudi Arabia’s human rights record and called the Saudis “scary motherfuckers to be involved with.” They are so scary that it takes about $200 million to get over that fear. That’s the reported contract Mickelson signed to join LIV golf.
Mickelson said, “I don’t condone human rights violations. I don’t know how else I can be any more clear.” Ooh, ooh, ooh…I know! You could be more clear that you don’t condone human rights violations by NOT taking blood money from Saudi Arabia. But maybe I just don’t understand golf.
Even though I don’t understand golf that well, I do understand that you don’t go into business with people who take a bone saw and dismember their critics. I try not to go into business with scary motherfuckers. I have the same policy of not going into business with Trumpers. I’m still owed over $2,000 the last time I did that (though I went into that agreement not realizing they were MAGAts).
It’s no surprise that Vince McMahon, the founder of the WWE and creator of Wrestlemania has a price to overlook human rights violations. I mean, this guy has been making billions for decades in an industry that sends his performers to early graves. Seriously, wrestlers have a habit of dying before 60. And it’s no surprise that Donald Trump has a price to ignore human rights violations. He displayed that when he was gooning up the White House and hosted MBS in the Oval Office. And since the PGA does have somewhat of a conscience and has pulled out of holding tournaments at Trump’s crappy golf resorts over his racism and insurrections, he has no problem taking LIV’s blood money to host a tournament at Doral.
You’re probably familiar with Trump National Doral in Miami by its catchphrase, “Ask us about our bedbugs.” That resort has been in financial decline for years. In 2019, it was reported that its operating income had fallen by 69 percent. Being the grifter he is, Trump tried to host the G7 Summit at Doral. Trump’s name is about as enticing as the opportunity to sleep with bedbugs.
Grifting runs in the family. After four years of making excuses for Saudi Arabia’s murders and helping them procure arms deals with the U.S, Jared Kushner has been given $2 billion as an “investment” from the Saudis. Now, his wife’s father gets his kickback from the Saudi government.
Normally, the only way Trump can pump cash into Doral is by holding campaign events, funded by the Trump Campaign, which is funded by his supporters. Before you label Trump as a genius grifter, keep in mind that the people he’s grifting are morons. Doral is also the home for the $10,000 portrait of Trump he bought for himself with money from the Trump charity.
How much is Trump being paid by MBS to host one of their crappy golf tournaments at Club Itchy-n-Scratchy (I bet you a MyPillow none of the Saudi royals actually spend the night at Doral)? I don’t know yet but don’t make a mistake about it. This is a bribe. And, it’s a legal bribe. The Saudi monarchs are paying Trump off for all he did for them while he was president (sic). His first foreign trip as “president” was to Saudi Arabia. Remember the sword dance and Trump with and the royals next to the creepy glowing globe?
Saudi money goes a long way. You saw how easy it was for Phil Mickelson to go from “scary mothers” to “pay me.” Now even President Biden, pressured by oil prices, has gone from promising to make Saudi Arabia a pariah to planning a visit to the nation where he’ll probably sit down for a chat with Captain Bonesaw himself, Mohammed bin Salman.
Don’t expect Saudi Arabia to comply with basic human rights any time soon.
Music Note: This one took a while to draw so I had time to listen to music. I listened to a lot of Foo Fighters because I discovered their B-sides and demos, which I haven’t listened to in about two decades because they’ve been hard to find, are now on Apple Music.
Signed prints: The signed prints are just $40.00 each. Every cartoon on this site is available. You can pay through PayPal. If you don’t like PayPal, you can snail mail it to Clay Jones, P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402. I can mail the prints directly to you or if you’re purchasing as a gift, directly to the person you’re gifting.
Notes on my book, Tales From The Trumpster Fire: There are 19 copies of my book in stock, which go for $45.00 each, signed. Also, I have copies of my first book from 1997, Knee-Deep in Mississippi available for $20.00.
Tip Jar: if you want to support the cartoonist, please send a donation through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com. You can also snail it to P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.
Shireen Abu Akleh was an esteemed American-Palestinian journalist who was killed earlier this week in the West Bank city of Jenin, where Israeli forces have been making military arrests and raids.
Abu Akleh was a reporter for Al Jazeera who’s been reporting for the past 25 years on Palestinians living under Israel’s military occupation. Millions watched her report the news on TV on a near-nightly basis. She should have been allowed to do her job, not murdered for it.
Shireen Abu Akleh is an icon in the Middle East and foreign journalists who report there hold her in high esteem as well. Now, Arab journalists are staging sit-ins around the world in protest of Israel and wanting her death covered. Qatar lit up a building in her image. Nearly every cartoonist in the Middle East has covered her death (and I may be the first in the United States). Newborn daughters are being named after her. She has become a symbol of Palestine.
Israel’s first response to news of her death was to publish a video of a Palestinian gunman shooting indiscriminately from inside the Jenin refugee camp, blaming Palestinians for her death. The only problem is she wasn’t anywhere near that location.
Israel’s usual strategy for explaining its killing of civilians is to deny and deflect. They often blame Palestinians for the Israeli Defense Forces’ murder of Palestinians. They will claim the civilian they killed was in the same area as terrorists. Or, they’ll claim the civilian was a terrorist. Israel bombed an 11-story building last year which housed Palestinian media networks and the Associated Press but justified it by saying it was being used by Hamas.
After Israel published their video blaming Palestinians for shooting Abu Akleh, Al Jazeera posted footage showing Abu Akleh face down on the ground in a less built-up area and her colleagues trying helplessly to reach her as bullets continued to fly. The word “PRESS” was visible in large letters on her protective gear. Her producer, Ali Samudi, who was also shot, said, “We saw the soldiers in the area and there were no Palestinians there. The soldiers were about 150 meters away….I did not see who was shooting, but I see from where the bullets coming. They coming from the area where the soldiers. There were no fighters in the area.”
Two hours later, a local researcher for the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem filmed a video geolocating the clip of the Palestinian gunmen in the Jenin refugee camp, hundreds of yards and several turns away from the spot where Abu Akleh was killed.
Israel backtracked and Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz told reporters he was very sorry “for what happened.” Israel wants all the forensic evidence so they can “investigate,” but the Palestinians don’t trust them. Israeli minister Diaspora Minister Nachman Shai said, “Israel’s credibility is not great in situations like this.”
Last week, The International Federation of Journalists, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS), and the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians filed a formal complaint at The Hague for Israel’s “systematic targeting of Palestinian journalists.” An estimated 50 Palestinian journalists have been killed since 2000, according to the PJS.
This morning during Shireen Abu Akleh’s funeral service, Israeli police teargassed the crowd, fired flash grenades, and used batons to beat the people carrying her coffin. They’re still working on that credibility.
When Vladimir Putin’s government kills a journalist, we call it out. We condemned Russia for the death of Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski last March covering the war in Ukraine.
When Mohammed bin Salmen had Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi murdered and his body sliced up into multiple pieces with a bone saw in the basement of Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Turkey, we condemned it and demanded accountability. At the time of Khashoggi’s murder, we had a president (sic) who deflected for MBS. Recently, Trump’s goon son-in-law, who never asked questions or demanded justice for the murder, got a huge financial reward from MBS. This is what happens when you put people into power who don’t respect democracy or press freedom.
Al Jazeera is calling out western media for its coverage of Abu Akleh’s murder. They’re accusing western media of “whitewashing” the story and shying away from implicating Israeli forces in her death.
Beth Miller, the political director of Jewish Voice for Peace, slammed the New York Times for a headline that said Abu Akleh “dies at 51”, without mentioning the cause of her death. Bassam Khawaja, the co-director of NYU Law’s Human Rights and Privatization Project, tweeted: “‘Dies at 51’ is a really strange way to say a journalist was shot in the head.”
The Associated Press, the BBC, and other western news outlets have been accused of taking the Israeli narrative, that Abu Akley was killed by “random” gunfire. Even after being bombed by Israeli forces, the AP still carries the Israeli Defense Forces’ water. ‘Tis but a scratch.
We’re always cautious with the Israeli government, a caution we don’t have for Saudi Arabia or Russia. But it’s not antisemitic to call out a corrupt government that murders journalists just like it’s not Islamophobic to call out Saudi Arabia’s monarchy for butchering a Washington Post reporter. It doesn’t mean you hate Russian people by being against poisoning journalists or throwing them off buildings.
As a political cartoonist, I recognize we cartoonists stand on the shoulders of journalists like Shireen Abu Akleh, who put her life in danger to report the news. Journalists should be protected by governments while they do their jobs, not murdered by them.
Signed prints: The signed prints are just $40.00 each. Every cartoon on this site is available. You can pay through PayPal. If you don’t like PayPal, you can snail mail it to Clay Jones, P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402. I can mail the prints directly to you or if you’re purchasing as a gift, directly to the person you’re gifting.
Notes on my book, Tales From The Trumpster Fire: There are 19 copies of my book in stock, which go for $45.00 each, signed. Also, I have copies of my first book from 1997, Knee-Deep in Mississippi available for $20.00.
Tip Jar: if you want to support the cartoonist, please send a donation through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com. You can also snail it to P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.
I give up. I’m done arguing with the MAGA heads and sycophants. I’m tired of pointing out the obvious to them when they refuse to believe their own eyes. They say you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink, and the Trump cult is only parched for orange Kool-Aid.
They don’t believe Donald Trump has assaulted women despite there being around 20 accusations. They don’t believe he’s a conman despite Trump University and literally stealing from a charity. They believe he’s a great dealmaker even after settling the government shutdown by negotiating for less than he started with. They believe he’s a patriot despite taking Putin’s word over our intelligence agencies and his giving classified information to the Russians. They say he’s a tough guy while he’s afraid of and bullying women and children. They don’t think he’s racist despite making racist comments and praising Nazis. They think he’s a genius even though he believes in invisible airplanes and windmill cancer. They don’t think he lies even though he’s told over 12,000. They can’t see the light when their heads are buried in Trump’s ass.
Trump’s supporters should have abandoned him a long time ago. Sending Sean Spicer out to lie to them about crowd sizes on his first day in office should have sealed the deal, but no. They don’t have any respect for themselves so why should they respect the country? If they so strongly believe in everything Trump says, then they should have bailed when it’s painfully obvious he’s the exact opposite of everything he claims he is and is a total fraud. Now, after spending nearly three years screaming “no collusion,” because collusion would have been bad, they’ve decided collusion isn’t a big deal because Donald Trump has admitted it.
Donald Trump has admitted he asked Ukraine’s president to go after conspiracy theories on Joe Biden and his son. That’s admitting he’s asking a foreign nation to get involved in our election. In the transcript, he’s on record asking President Zelensky to do him a “favor.” They argue there isn’t a “quid-pro-quo,” even though that’s not required for this to be criminal. He’s asking a foreign nation to get involved in our election. Basically, collusion isn’t bad anymore. They keep trying to change the rules of what’s illegal. Some Republican lawmakers are even arguing it’s not impeachable because it was done over a phone. Seriously.
But, there was a quid-pro-quo. Donald Trump withheld nearly $400 million allocated for Ukraine by Congress a week before his phone call with Zelensky. He told his chief of staff, Mick Mulaney, and others in the administration to lie about the reason for its withholding and not to give any more information. In the phone call, he kept stressing how good the U.S. has been to Ukraine but it wasn’t reciprocated. Of course, he didn’t say, “I’ll give you this if you give me that.” Even mobsters don’t say that. There is a reason for wink-wink, nudge-nudge. There was a lot of winking and nudging in that phone call. What Trump supporters have to argue now isn’t that there wasn’t a quid-pro-quo, but that quid-pro-quo isn’t bad…unless a Democrat does it.
After the Mueller report came out, Trump boasted how it cleared him of obstruction. Attorney General William Barr said it cleared Trump of obstruction. It didn’t, but it shows that Trump, Barr, and Republicans acknowledge obstruction is a bad thing. Now, we have it again. The Trump administration hid records of the phone call in an electronic system reserved for “especially sensitive” classified information, not political information. According to the whistleblower report, this has been done repeatedly. This is a coverup. Guess what doomed Nixon. It wasn’t the burglary. Sycophants either ignore the obstruction or they think it should be allowed. They and everyone else should be asking, what other phones calls are in that system and who were they to?
They also think sending a private goon to conduct seemingly government business should be allowed. Trump sent Rudy Giuliani to stalk and harass the Ukrainian government over conspiracy theories on a lie that it was for national interest when it was purely for Trump’s re-election campaign. Rudy said he was “helping Trump” and that he’s the president’s private attorney. He’s not working as his private attorney. He’s working as his co-conspirator. Other co-conspirators are Mick Mulvaney, William Barr and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Additionally, the State Department (according to Rudy and a text he showed on TV. Subpoena that phone) asked him to go sleaze in Ukraine. Trump supporters don’t have a problem with this.
They also don’t care about laws anymore. There are laws to protect whistleblowers and now the Republican Party is out to smear this one. I saw Trump supporters make public posts on social media yesterday calling for the whistleblower to be punished. They’re not arguing he should be punished for lying, but for revealing the truth. But it gets even worse.
Donald Trump has insinuated that the whistleblower, whom he’s called a “partisan” despite (supposedly) not knowing who he is should be punished and those in his administration who helped him are “spies.” Trump told an audience at the United Nations yesterday that “in the old days” spies were treated differently. Trump said, “I want to know who’s the person who gave the whistleblower the information because that’s close to a spy. You know what we used to do in the old days when we were smart with spies and treason, right? We used to handle it a little differently than we do now.”
In case you don’t know, we used to execute spies. Maybe he thinks they should be treated in the way the Saudi’s treat journalists.
If you’re a Trump supporter, you have to believe it’s OK to violate laws protecting whistleblowers and it’s perfectly acceptable to intimidate witnesses, like calling for their executions.
If you’re a Trump supporter, all this is out there in public and in front of you. If you’re still supporting this guy and ready to go down on the wrong side of history like those who supported Nixon to the end, then I give up on you. I’m not the dumbass whisperer.
The law, patriotism, this nation, none of it’s important to you. The only thing important to you is Trump, no matter what he does or what he is. You don’t care when he calls the media the “enemy of the American people” and you didn’t care when he excused Saudi Arabia for murdering a U.S.-based journalist. You only care about Trump.
Donald Trump is betraying this nation and you’re helping him. You may not ever give up on Trump, but I’m giving up on you.
Support the cartoonist.
As I noted in a previous cartoon, these are perilous times for political cartoonists. But you can help me continue to create cartoons, blogs, and videos by making a contribution. All support, large and small, is greatly appreciated. You can also support me by purchasing a signed print (8 1/2×11) for $40, or a signed poster (18×24) for $100 by clicking the PayPal button (just include a note if you’re purchasing a print). If you want to support but don’t want to use PayPal, you can send a contribution through the mail (address is on the contact page. Again, include a note for a print).I don’t plan on going anywhere and your support will help guarantee that. Whether you support, can’t. or just choose not to, please know that I am truly thankful that you visit my site and read my work.
While still in Vietnam, Donald Trump said Kim Jong Un told him he felt bad about the death of Otto Warmbier, the American college student the North Koreans imprisoned in good health and returned to the U.S. in a coma. Kim also told Trump he wasn’t aware of the Warmbier situation until after he was returned home. Trump said he believed him. He said North Korea is a big country and Kim couldn’t be aware of everything.
The North Koreans used Warmbier for propaganda. They aired videos of him crying and asking to go home. North Korea has one TV station. Their media is government operated and is not a free press. When Otto Warmbier was used as propaganda, how could Kim Jong Un not only be aware of it but also not be the one approving the tactic?
For Donald Trump, if a friend claims innocence, or says “he didn’t do it,” then we need to believe them. He made that claim for Robert Kraft, Roy Moore, Brett Kavanaugh, Bill O’Reilly, Roger Ailes, and himself. He doesn’t do it only for those conservatives accused of sexual abuse. He does it for dictators. He said he believed Vladimir Putin’s denial over that of American intelligence that he meddled in the 2016 presidential election. He said he believed Muhammad Bin Salman’s denial of being involved in the murder of a Washington Post journalist that happened INSIDE their embassy in Turkey. Now, he says he believes Kim Jong Un.
Take note, that Trump also claimed he wasn’t aware of paying off porn stars, which has now become public that he was aware. When someone gives an unbelievable denial, Donald Trump should be an expert at recognizing lies in denials.
Also, during the summit in Hanoi, the Trump administration attempted to remove the press from an event, and not at the request of the North Koreans. We’re supposed to school them on freedom and democracy, not have them school us on propaganda.
It’s not just sickening that Trump, an American president, does this, but that so many Americans support his behavior. Do you?
Nerdy details and a bunch of roughs: After I drew a cartoon for CNN last week, I was hoping for the chance to do it again. I didn’t know it’d come the very next week. This time, I was contacted by the regular editor in charge of their Sunday opinion newsletter, Provoke & Persuade (before the first paragraph in the story, there’s a link to sign up for their weekly email. Do it). I got a little bit more than 24 hours this time too. We talked on the phone Wednesday evening and on Thursday, I sent her eight ideas. Yeah, eight.
As I do with every editor the first time I work with them on an assignment, I explain that my roughs are very rough. My editor, Pat said she liked all of them, but unlike Trump…I’m not entirely sure I can believe her. Maybe she was just being nice. I didn’t like all of them.
After I delivered the cartoon Friday afternoon, she asked me to remove one little detail before she ran it by their standards and practices department. I joked on Twitter that this was my first time to deal with a cable network’s standards and practices, but I have had to deal with it at newspapers. But with newspapers, it’s usually not a department and it’s just one editor who likes to say no a lot. In this case, after we removed the one detail, the department didn’t give us any trouble. Quite frankly, I was shocked in the first week that they didn’t ask me to draw Trump differently, like change his hair, ties, or lips.
Here are all the roughs and you can leave a comment on your favorite.
This wasn’t my favorite cartoon but I do think it was the best choice for CNN. The Otto Warmbier story was getting bigger at the time it was selected and has only grown since. When they selected this cartoon, they didn’t know I was going to throw in a lot of details for each individual. I also replaced Bill O’Reilly with Putin. There were a lot of candidates. I did tell Pat that I was replacing O’Reilly with Putin, as I felt most people have probably forgotten the O’Reilly thing by now.
I honestly thought they’d pick this one. Since they didn’t, I drew it for my syndication on Thursday night. You’ve already seen this finished cartoon. You may notice that as I draw many rough ideas, that the quality decreases with each cartoon. I get tired, OK?
I really liked this one but I didn’t expect them to take it. I didn’t think it was the way to go for the top issue of the week. I felt the summit would take precedence. I don’t know if I’ll draw an official cartoon of this idea as I’ve already covered the subject. I like the simplicity in the drawing.
I like this one a lot but I’m not sure it works. Maybe I like it because it’s a crowd scene. You know how I loves me some crowd scenes. If working for CNN becomes a regular thing, I need to work in one of my famous crowd scenes for them at some point.
I like this one while also not being that crazy about it. I felt it was too obvious but I wanted to give it a shot with CNN because maybe they’d prefer something kinda obvious. But, they didn’t. I was fine with not doing this cartoon. Also, it didn’t really address the Warmbier situation as well as the one they chose. I did a cartoon similar to this before the first Trump/Kim summit.
I didn’t like this one at all. Again, I was giving them something obvious, but I knew another cartoonist would draw this cartoon. I was right. I’ve seen it since I drew this rough. I’d say this was a lazy idea if I hadn’t drawn so many that day. The only excuse I have for this cliche is the change up of Kim asking for the shirt.
I liked this one. I almost did it for my clients on Thursday night. I like that it shows Trump is not the great negotiator he claims he is. I did something similar with Trump’s head on Pelosi’s wall after the shutdown negotiations, but I was fine with tweaking the idea for a different outlet.
I thought this was my last idea when I came up with it. I liked it when I thought of it and halfway through drawing it, I started to hate it. When Pat told me she liked all the ideas, I replied, “Even the Rodman one?” I’m so glad she didn’t pick this one. Why do I send editors ideas I don’t like? Scott Stantis (I think it was him), the cartoonist for The Chicago Tribune once told me he’d give an editor several pathetic, crappy, horrid ideas, and one really good one…to make him pick the good one. But, that tactic often burns the cartoonist as an editor is likely to choose one of the horrid, crappy ideas. I have been in the position before of trying to convince an editor that he doesn’t want to use something I thought up.
After Pat chose her cartoon, I thought of this one. I didn’t intend to show it to her since she had made her choice. But, we were still emailing and I told her, “I actually came up with one more and it’s on the Mark Meadows race thing.” She asked to see it. I think she went from “oooh, I wanna see it” to “ew.” But at the end of the day, it was my very favorite. I waited another day to draw it as I wanted to tackle the summit first for my clients, but on Friday night I drew this one.
So that’s inside of the head of this cartoonist for one day. Now you may need a shower. Thank you for tolerating and patronizing my weirdness.
Be Complicit
What kind of person would want to be part of something that disparages, slanders, and disrespects Dear Leader and his sycophantic followers? Hopefully, you.
Making a contribution supports my work and keeps the cartoons, columns, and videos coming. My income is from newspapers that subscribe to my work and small contributors. George Soros hasn’t sent me a million dollar check in weeks. Making a contribution of any amount, or buying a print for $40.00, makes you part of this specific resistance, and a member of Team Claytoonz (we’re still working on the name). You are complicit, an accomplice, and in cahoots (and whatever gangster terms we can think of) with this political satire pointing out that the stupid emperor has no clothes. Contributions can be made through PayPal, checks, and wads of cash exchanged in back alleys.
Whether you can help support, can’t, or just choose not to, please continue to enjoy and keep reading my work. Thank you!!!
During the 2016 presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton told us Donald Trump is Putin’s puppet. She told us this during a debate with Trump, where, being so quick on his feet, Trump responded with, “you’re the puppet.” If his complicity to a foreign leader didn’t sway you from voting for him, then his inability to defend himself like an adult should have.
Clinton was not the only candidate to tell us Trump was indebted and controlled by Vladimir Putin. Donald Trump told us. He hid it very poorly.
On two occasions, it was pointed out that Putin killed enemies, including journalists. Once by Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski and the other time by Bill O’Reilly. Trump didn’t respond by expressing condemnation or even concern. He couldn’t even fake it. Both times, he responded by defending Putin, and again in a childish manner. Once with, “you think we’re so great?” and the other time, “a lot of people have done bad things.” He also said, “at least he’s a leader.”
And yet, we decided we couldn’t trust a woman who was careless with classified information, so we voted for the man displaying his patronage to the Kremlin. Seriously, America?
Russians spies weren’t the only foreign powers meeting with Donald Trump Jr. at the Trump campaign HQ in Trump Tower. Representatives of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates visited and told him they were “eager” to help Trump win the White House. From there, Joel Zamel, an Israeli expert in social media manipulation, put together a proposal for an online manipulation program to help elect Trump using thousands of fake accounts to promote him on Facebook. We don’t know if this plan was ever put into place, but others in on it were Jared Kushner, Steve Bannon, Michael Flynn, and founder of Blackwater and brother to our current Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Erik Prince.
Today, Trump tells us he has no financial interest in Saudi Arabia but on the campaign trail, he said he was paid millions by them for apartments in his garish, ugly buildings. He said, “Saudi Arabia, I get along with all of them. They buy apartments from me. They spend $40 million, $50 million. Am I supposed to dislike them? I like them very much.” Now, we’re supposed to forget he ever said it or assume he was lying. Either he was lying then or he’s lying now. Which is it?
During the campaign, there was much speculation that a lot of Trump’s projects were financed by Russian banks. What has been confirmed is that he got a lot of financing from Deutsche Bank, which he still owes millions to. Deutsche Bank has worked closely with Russian institutions in the past, and we don’t know if they haven’t sold Trump’s loan to Russia. Thursday, German police raided the offices of Deutsche Bank seeking evidence in a money laundering investigation into the practice of hiding money offshore to elude tax collectors and government regulators. Though this case doesn’t appear to have anything to do with Trump, it did occur the same day his former attorney and fixer Michael Cohen pleaded guilty in a plea deal with the Special Counsel’s office, and Trump’s tax attorney’s offices were also raided by the feds. What a bunch of coincidences.
Trump has spent the last two years denying he had any financial ties to Russia, but Cohen laid out a scheme to the Special Counsel that he was leading the Trump Organization’s efforts to erect a Trump Tower in Moscow during the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump responded by calling Cohen a liar and confirming what Cohen said. Trump’s defense is that all the stuff he spent the past two years hiding and denying wasn’t illegal.
But, it may have been illegal. According to reports, the Trump Organization’s plan was for the project, which Trump had dreamed of for three decades because he has a weird obsession with Russia, was to be financed by a Russian bank. The bank, VTB, is controlled by the Kremlin and is under sanctions by the United States. Even approaching this bank to do business is illegal. Other reports claim the Trump Organization was offering the penthouse, valued at $50 million, to Putin to make the project happen.
While it would make business sense to offer Putin such a gift, as it would make Russian oligarchs spends upwards of $250 million to be Putin’s neighbor, offering a bribe to a foreign head of state is illegal.
Also, to get financing from VTB, the Trump Organization, and perhaps Trump himself, would have to hand over all sorts of financial disclosure documents. Have you ever got a mortgage based upon your good looks? I doubt Trump has either. But, this would be handing Putin another gift, the president’s financial interests. No wonder he doesn’t want to insult him. Trump won’t even let us see his taxes, but maybe Putin has them.
This compromises Trump in the worst way. It’s not just one conflict of interest for Trump. He was working a deal with Russia through June of 2016, while Russia was engaged in a military intelligence cyberattack against the United States. This makes Trump a traitor.
Since I brought up a few coincidences earlier, here’s another; The Trump Tower/Campaign HQ meeting between Donald Jr., Kushner, Manafort and Russia spies was also while Trump was trying to get this deal on the Moscow Project.
Since the election, Trump has sided with Putin over our nation’s, and his, intelligence. He’s been very light and gentle toward Vladimir. He’s forgiven the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammad Bin Salman for his ordering of a journalist’s execution.
On Friday at the G20 Summit, Putin and MBS exchanged a greeting that was less diplomatic and more like a touchdown celebration. It was very victorious and celebratory.
Putin and MBS have a lot to celebrate. They own a president, and if you still support Trump, they own you too.
Be Complicit
What kind of person would want to be part of something that disparages, slanders, and disrespects Dear Leader and his sycophantic followers? Hopefully, you.
Making a contribution supports my work and keeps the cartoons, columns, and videos coming. My income is from newspapers that subscribe to my work and small contributors. George Soros hasn’t sent me a million dollar check in weeks. Making a contribution of any amount, or buying a print for $40.00, makes you part of this specific resistance, and a member of Team Claytoonz (we’re still working on the name). You are complicit, an accomplice, and in cahoots (and whatever gangster terms we can think of) with this political satire pointing out that the stupid emperor has no clothes. Contributions can be made through PayPal, checks, and wads of cash exchanged in back alleys.
Whether you can help support, can’t, or just choose not to, please continue to enjoy and keep reading my work. Thank you!!!
Donald Trump wants to send Hillary Clinton and James Comey to prison for being his political enemies while defending a man accused of ordering a murder because it’s good for business.
In one day, Trump betrayed American values.The New York Times reported that last spring, Trump told White House Counsel Don McGahn that he wanted to order the Justice Department to prosecute Clinton and former FBI Director Comey.
McGahn, whose job became one of saving Trump from Trump, had lawyers write a memo that explaining that requesting an investigation would prompt accusations of abuse of power. It was pointed out to Trump that Justice Department lawyers could refuse to follow his orders, judges could dismiss prosecution, and Congress could investigate him and begin impeachment proceedings.
Since then, McGahn has left the White House and Trump had placed a water boy at the head of the Justice Department.
Trump has been obsessed with Hillary Clinton since the election. Her greatest crime may be that more Americans chose her over Trump. Trump believes she should be prosecuted for the way she handled her emails and for her role in Uranium One, which is a debunked conspiracy theory loved by right-wing lunatics.
He wants Comey prosecuted for sharing classified information, despite the fact he has never done that. His lawyers did ask the Justice Department to investigate Comey for mishandling sensitive government information and for his role in the Clinton email investigation. The department refused.
Presidents are supposed to leave the Justice Department alone and allow it to retain its independence. Presidents aren’t supposed to use their power to go after their enemies as if this was a third-world banana republic. The last president to meddle with the Justice Department this much was Richard Nixon, and look how that worked out for him.
When it comes between American intelligence and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Trump chose the prince because “it’s America first for me.” Huh?
It’s been two months since the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post and a U.S. resident. He was butchered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, and intelligence in Turkey and the U.S. blame Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for ordering the murder.
The CIA told Trump that bin Salman ordered the murder. Yesterday, the White House issued a statement saying, “Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t.” The statement began and ended with “America first,” and included, “Representatives of Saudi Arabia say that Jamal Khashoggi was an ‘enemy of the state,'” which also mirrors Trump’s “enemy of the people” criticism of the press.
Trump doesn’t really care if MBS ordered the hit or not. He’s letting him off the hook because he’s worried about oil prices, U.S. arms sales, and believes Saudi Arabia counters Iran. We’re currently backing Saudi Arabia in a war in Yemen where rebels are supported by Iran. The war in Yemen may be a war where we are on the wrong side.
What the White House statement failed to disclose was how much money Saudi princes have invested in Donald Trump and Jared Kushner. Hopefully, a Democratic Congress will discover exactly how much Saudi Arabia has paid Trump and Kushner, and if they’re owned or not.
Donald Trump has given clearance to other nations to do whatever the hell they want without any real political costs coming from the United States. Already, authoritarians across the world are mimicking Trump’s language toward the press and political enemies. They’ve also discovered they can just make stuff up without providing any basis in facts.
Trump is telling the world that it’s OK if they’re authoritarian states because that’s what he’s trying to turn America into.
Be Complicit
What kind of person would want to be part of something that disparages, slanders, and disrespects Dear Leader and his sycophantic followers? Hopefully, you.
Making a contribution supports my work and keeps the cartoons, columns, and videos coming. My income is from newspapers that subscribe to my work and small contributors. George Soros hasn’t sent me a million dollar check in weeks. Making a contribution of any amount, or buying a print for $40.00, makes you part of this specific resistance, and a member of Team Claytoonz (we’re still working on the name). You are complicit, an accomplice, and in cahoots (and whatever gangster terms we can think of) with this political satire pointing out that the stupid emperor has no clothes. Contributions can be made through PayPal, checks, and wads of cash exchanged in back alleys.
Whether you can help support, can’t, or just choose not to, please continue to enjoy and keep reading my work. Thank you!!!
claytoonz 