Donald Trump’s photo op: politics or faith? Ten days the Bible featured prominently in editorial cartoons in June 2020
Donald Trump’s photo op: politics or faith? Ten days the Bible featured prominently in editorial cartoons in June 2020

Summary/Abstract: On the 1st June 2020 US president Donald Trump posed in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church holding up a Bible for a photo opportunity. This was widely publicised in various media, and caused reactions from Christians across the spectrum. It also did not escape the attention of political cartoonists, resulting in Bible depictions being featured in editorial cartoons in some form or another for a possibly unprecedented ten consecutive days. This study looks at how cartoons interpret and integrate the photo op with associated events such as the death of Geoge Floyd and subsequent protests, and how these are linked to biblical ideas (or not). Various cartoons are analysed, with potential explications given. The article concludes that the cartoons are primarily about Trump, without whom the Bible would not have featured so prominently, but although the cartoons reveal mainly political objectives, the Bible nevertheless plays a role in questioning motives, cautioning uncritical thinking, and opposing untruths and violence.

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