Today’s cartoon draws inspiration from one of history’s most brilliant satirical minds: James Gillray. For those who may not know, Gillray was the 18th century’s unrivalled editorial cartoonist, skewering political elites with unmatched wit and artistry. In fact, hanging on my wall is a painted print of one of his masterpieces, The Bengal Levee, a depiction of colonial sycophancy so rich in detail and absurdity that it still resonates today. Years ago, I stumbled upon the print on eBay and couldn’t resist – its sharp commentary on power dynamics seemed timeless.

Gillray’s The Bengal Levee shows a chaotic room teeming with fawning petitioners, each jockeying for Lord Cornwallis’s attention at his weekly audiences in colonial India. The obsequious crowd, laden with gifts and flattery, clamours to win favour from the colonial ruler seated on his throne-like chair. It’s satire at its finest, showcasing the grotesque theatre of power, corruption, and human ambition.

The Bengal Levee: npg.org.uk/collections/…

Sound familiar? Fast forward to today, and we see a strikingly similar dynamic playing out as leaders from around the world parade to preen before President-elect Donald Trump. Trudeau attempts to project polished diplomacy, while Poilievre (as I envision we will all one day witness inevitable PP’s fealty to the King) sharpens his populist rhetoric, conjuring bold policy proposals that aim to out-Trump Trump. The stakes are high: not just Trump’s favour, but their own political futures.

In today’s cartoon, I wanted to channel Gillray’s spirit, imagining Trump as a gilded Louis XIV-like monarch surveying a royal court of supplicants. Front and centre, Pierre Poilievre juggles axes labelled with his boldest (and Trumpiest) proposals, vying for approval with an almost theatrical flair. The absurdity of it all – the grand gestures, the calculated performances – is a reminder of how little the human dance for power has changed since Gillray’s time.

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Please enjoy my making-of clip of the December 5, 2024 cartoon - sound up!