Politico Removes Antisemitic Cartoon After Complaints: ‘Did Not Meet Our Standards’
Politico removed a cartoon by Sean Delonas after readers submitted complaints about the imagery, which featured Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu and Republican members of Congress draped in blood-covered tallis and yarmulkes. The outlet noted the image, part of its weekly offering, “did not meet our standards.”
“Politico publishes a weekly gallery of cartoons from cartoonists across the profession and representing a wide spectrum of political arguments,” the outlet wrote in an editor’s note. “The selection of cartoons in the popular weekly feature is designed to be representative of a broad range of opinions — not an endorsement of the views of any particular cartoon or cartoonist.”
The explanation continued: “At the same time, all content on Politico — including from outside contributors — is subject to our editorial standards. We removed a cartoon by independent cartoonist Sean Delonas from this week’s gallery after weighing comments from readers that it did not meet our standards.”
“Sharp arguments and provocative imagery in political cartoons are within bounds,” the statement added. “Images that could be reasonably interpreted to rely on ethnic stereotypes or employing tropes that have been involved in historically hateful ways are not.”
In addition to the blood-covered religious symbols, the image also featured the group sitting under a blood-stained bag of money, an apparent reference to one of the most persistent antisemitic tropes that the Jewish people are all wealthy and have an impossible, and unstoppable, thirst for money. It also seems to be a reference to Hieronymus Bosch’s “Ship of Fools.”
In an image shared on social media, a banner reads “Mission Accomplished,” and Sen. Lindsey Graham is seen pouring what appears to be blood onto an elephant (ostensibly representing the Republican Party). Additionally, two people wearing MAGA hats and holding out empty bowls appear to solicit help from Netanyahu in the image. A wooden sign also reads “Iran” and points down a waterfall.
Politico did not offer an explanation for why the image was allowed to pass its own editorial standards in the first place.
Delonas was the cartoonist for Page Six from 1990 to 2013. His work is in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, the Library of Congress, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Newseum, the Cartoon Art Museum, New York Historical Society Museum and Library, the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum.
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