This Epic Painting of the Trump Administration is Breaking the Internet
If you’ve been on social media over the last 24 hours, there’s a good chance you’ve seen this painting, titled “Crossing the Swamp”.
It depicts the Trump administration crossing the swamp of Washington DC at night, in the manner of the famous painting of Washington’s miraculous crossing of the Delaware River, shielded from the British by a perfectly timed fog, the appearance of which seems to have been nothing short of divine.
Here’s the original painting:
History.com explains why the crossing has become such an iconic event of the Revolutionary War:
During the American Revolution, Patriot General George Washington crosses the Delaware River with 5,400 troops, hoping to surprise a Hessian force celebrating Christmas at their winter quarters in Trenton, New Jersey. The unconventional attack came after several months of substantial defeats for Washington’s army that had resulted in the loss of New York City and other strategic points in the region….
The victory was not particularly significant from a strategic point of view, but news of Washington’s initiative raised the spirits of the American colonists, who previously feared that the Continental Army was incapable of victory.
So it seems fitting to depict the Trump administration in a similar pose, navigating the figurative swamp of Washington DC, originally constructed on a physical swap.
Trump’s victory has done so much to boost the morale of millions of Americans, who believe once again that their voices matter in Washington and that we have a commander-in-chief who genuinely cares about their best interests.
So when artist Jon McNaughton posted his “Crossing of the Swamp” painting on Twitter Tuesday, while not without plenty of mockers, others found depicting President Trump in this way was more than fitting.
My new painting – “Crossing the Swamp”
“Never give up. Never lower your light.
Never stop till the swamp is dry.” – Jon McNaughton
For a list of figures in the boat: https://t.co/ZIPdkBgcFU pic.twitter.com/CTPndvK5LM— Jon McNaughton Art (@McNaughtonArt) July 31, 2018
“Today, Trump endeavors to cross the ‘swamp’ of Washington DC as he carries the light of truth, hope, and prosperity. The murky water of the deep state is laced with dangerous vermin, perfectly willing to destroy American prosperity for their personal ideologies and financial gain. The establishment Democrats, Never-Trumper-Republicans, Deep State, and Fake News Media will do all they can to stop the majority of the American people from succeeding,” McNaughton writes on his website, where he is selling prints of the painting.
The figures joining Trump on the boat are members of his administration as well as FLOTUS. From left to right: Nikki Haley, James Mattis, Ben Carson, President Trump, Jeff Sessions, Mike Pence, Melania Trump, Mike Pompeo, Sarah Sanders, Ivanka Trump, John Bolton, Kellyanne Conway, John Kelly.
There may have been another prominent Washington figure snuck in there, too, as one Twitter user pointed out:
https://twitter.com/Reg28th/status/1024397995826204672
Jokes aside, and there are plenty of jokes, while it might be a stretch to compare Trump’s presidency to Washington’s leadership during the Revolutionary war, there is no question that he is breaking norms and challenging the status quo in the swamp he’s promised to drain, and that his victory at the polls n 2016 was also nothing short of miraculous.
Like the mist that concealed Washington’s troops from the British, there was a perfectly timed series of events that catapulted Trump to victory, to the shock of much of the American people. And yet, here he is, a year and a half into his administration, and he’s shocked us countless times by actually following through on his campaign promises and leading a surprisingly conservative–and successful–administration.
Many on the left will never admit it, but Trump is bound to go down in history as a great President and strong leader.
