On November 8, 2016, Donald Trump stunned the nation when he defeated the Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton, in the presidential election, causing many Americans to fear the future of the United States. Shortly after, news broke that Russia had hacked into the Democratic National Convention and released Clinton’s private e-mails. Many citizens, especially Democrats, became enraged and were convinced that the Russian hacking scandal is the reason Trump was able to win the election. Sean Delonas—an acclaimed political cartoonist who has worked twenty-three years with the New York Post—published this cartoon on January 6, 2017, amidst continuous hacking speculation. Through his use of cleverly thought out visual rhetoric, Delonas employs …show more content…
On the left side of the cartoon, Putin is accompanied by two sinister characters lurking in the darker side of the bar known as Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale, two cartoon Russian spies, famous for their criminal deeds in The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. By associating the Russian president with the two characters, Delonas is implying that Putin is corrupt as well, playing into how many Americans view Putin as dubious. The dark color sparks pathos in the viewers because it acknowledges the worried and terrified feelings many Americans harbor from Putin helping Trump win and the financial ties Trump allegedly has with Russia, to the inevitable future with Trump as President. Putin is illustrated with a red tie, representing Republican support, and poking fun at the assumption he helped them win. The tie also utilizes pathos by creating feelings of indignation with the pop of red. Furthermore, he has an abnormally large nose, squinty eyes, and a smooth face. His lack of wrinkles and stoned-faced expression represents a calm or unaffected disposition to the accusations from the Americans while his eyes, nose, and raised pinky are as if he’s sticking his nose up at the United States or is of higher importance. Likewise, Delonas, using light rays, brings attention to the lapel pin embellishing Putin’s jacket and his glittering wristwatch in order to portray Putin as …show more content…
People are refusing to acknowledge Trump as a legitimate President due to the hacking scandal and his, purportedly, unfair victory. Moreover, Delonas successfully indicates the purpose of his cartoon through the hilarious use of a bar scene, where he properly reflects the culture. Today, it is common in movies, as well as in reality, for people to venture to bars and express their problems to strangers because they are less likely to be judged by the equally as drunk bar goer; therefore, their filters disappear and they state what they truly