Overview
- Politico, which posted the cartoon Friday in its weekly Cartoon Carousel, removed it Saturday after reader complaints and said the image did not meet its standards.
- The illustration by syndicated cartoonist Sean Delonas showed President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Republican figures in blood-stained prayer shawls beneath a money bag with the word “Amalek” in view as their boat rushed toward “Iran.”
- Critics said the scene echoed classic antisemitic tropes such as exaggerated features, cash imagery, and claims of hidden influence, noting that non-Jewish lawmakers were drawn in Jewish religious garments.
- Delonas, a former New York Post cartoonist whose work is distributed by Cagle Cartoons, defended the piece in a blog post by calling the facial exaggerations standard caricature.
- Politico said the Cartoon Carousel showcases a range of opinions rather than endorsements, yet it offered no explanation for how the piece cleared review as news outlets and social media users pressed for answers.