The Mar-a-lago Messiah - reverse engineering a hazardous meme (Updated: 4/29/2026)

 

Stained Legacy of the Church of MAGA, editorial cartoon, April 2, 2024 by primo Canadian cartoonist Graeme MacKay, found in his article: A Blasphemous Exploitation of Faith for Personal Gain.

"Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth,” Leo told a gathering at Saint Joseph Cathedral in the western city of Bamenda.

“They turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing and devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education and restoration are nowhere to be found.

“The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants, yet it is held together by a multitude of supportive brothers and sisters.”

- Words of wisdom expressed by Catholic Pope Leo XIV during a recent trip to Africa... possibly in response to lunatic ravings posted against him on "Truth Social." Apparently, the Pope disagreed with Trump's decision to enter Israel's war with Iran. As did a majority of Americans.

Jesus Trump - editorial cartoon - April 14, 2026, Michael de Adder. 

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(New: 5/7/2026) "When Trump was elected president of the United States, his now infamous alt-right supporters celebrated the victory in what they considered the ‘Great Meme War’. They made Trump the object of a memetic cult of personality, exalting him as their ‘God Emperor’ for which they fought."

- This quote (sourced here) illuminates our general discussion. Obviously, the Great Meme War of 2016 never really ended. And imagine how much more effective Memetic Warfare was for the alt-right in 2024 with tech-wizard Elon Musk on board.

"Memetic warfare on the part of 4chan and r/The_Donald subreddit is widely credited with assisting Donald Trump in winning the election in an event they call 'The Great Meme War'. According to Ben Schreckinger, 'a group of anonymous keyboard commandos conquered the internet for Donald Trump—and plans to deliver Europe to the far right'."

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"Memetic is frequently used to describe digital artifacts (images, videos, jokes) that go viral online, sharing common characteristics and evolving as they are shared.

In fictional contexts, "memetic hazards" are ideas or information that, when perceived, cause significant, often dangerous, mental effects (cognitohazards).

Memetic Engineering: The deliberate design and deployment of memes to alter social discourse or achieve specific goals, such as in marketing or political campaigns."

- Via Wiki, describing the meme, a unit of cultural transmission. But, then again, there are the hazardous memes. Outside of "fictional contexts," political propaganda can weaponize hazardous memes.

The highlighted text is the central theme of this post.*

* Happily, meme warfare works both ways. Tit for tat, this for that. And, there is no better way to counteract a malignant meme than the illuminating, mental stimulation of satirical humor. It's like squeezing dirty water from a household sponge. You have to do it to get the job done, so, you can finally relax. Laughter is relaxation.

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The MAGA Messiah - editorial cartoon - 2024, Darrin Bell. "Move aside, loser."

"Nick Adams posted the image of Donald Trump as Jesus Christ.

Since moving to the United States, Adams has become a prominent Trump backer and commentator.

Adams, born Nicholas Adamopoulos, was nominated by Trump to be America's ambassador to Malaysia.

But that nomination was later withdrawn and he was named Special Presidential Envoy for American Tourism, Exceptionalism, and Values, a role that was created for him."

- While we are not told that Nick Adams created the AI-generated Trump/Christ images trending across the WWW this past week (see article), we do know that he posted a few. Moreover, Adams is employed by the present far-right regime in "a role that was created for him." And, what a mouthful that "role" is: Special Presidential Envoy for American Tourism, Exceptionalism, and Values. Sounds like something cooked up by the Wizard of Oz. Maybe it was. But, who is the wizard?

Perhaps, there is more than one silhouette behind that curtain. We now know of another (see below). As for the others, read on...

(Continued below the jump...)

Before posting Jesus meme, Trump consulted his ‘agent of chaos’:

Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, allegedly influenced the president’s decision to post the AI image, not the first time the official has been accusing of stoking controversy."

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The Three Faces of Man - Sprayed acrylic and oil on Belgian Linen - Judy Chicago, 1985.
Sees evil, hears evil, speaks evil.

Alas, while those Messiah memes failed to fly, a related meme was set to launch. On April 22 The Guardian reported:

"Sitting behind his desk in the Oval Office, hands resting on a book that looked like a Bible, Trump stared straight into the camera (presumably there was a teleprompter) as he recited from the book 2 Chronicles. It’s a passage which has become fashionable among the right wing, and which quotes God as saying:

'If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.'"

Also see: Scripture as Spectacle: Trump’s Public Reading of a Passage From the Bible.

We'll assume the highlighted paragraph was actually taken from the Christian Bible... unlike a similar "Biblical" quote used by "secretary of war," and head of the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth. His reading, in part, originated from the movie Pulp Fiction. (See here.) However, in spite of his imprudent lapses into La La Land, Hegseth is leading the military side of his regime's meme-extravaganza with the rigor of the vengeful God of the Old Testament.

Mac Tonnies wrote on March 22, 2008:

"I consider the God of the Old Testament an obvious literary device, a fabrication that might once have wielded some positive cultural influence (although even a passing glance at the bloodshed chronicled in the Bible is enough to shake one's certainty)."*

Mac was one of the sanest men I knew. Perhaps, a tad cynical, but we could use his critical clarity right now.

But, in spite of Hegseth's theatrics, in the last analysis, his "God" is not purely Old Testament. It resembles a god of a much older persuasion: the mythical Ares, the Greek's blood-thirsty version of the Roman god, Mars, which, as we know was a pagan god of war.

Inset left and right are comedy and tragedy masks worn by Pete Hegseth in real-time... which inspired my inclusion of Judy Chicago's masterful portrayal of the three faces of toxic tyranny (above) - from her series aptly entitled Power Play - reposted from this Trans-D article.

But there's an additional related spectacle. We musn't forget: the God Bless the U.S.A. Bible - merchandise which, in 2025, brought a total of $1,306,035 to the Trump Organization.

It's almost as if the US Constitution's First Amendment - specifically that crucial "wall of separation" between Church and State - never existed. Government officials selling pseudo-religious material for profit as part of propaganda campaign?

How unfortunate.

* An interesting comment left on Mac's post from an unknown reader:

" ...every warrior culture needs a supreme Alpha Male dictator to keep things in order..."

Secretary of Holy War - editorial cartoon - April 20, 2026, Bill Bramhall.

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There is one more element to the Messiah meme, however, and although rarely cited in most accounts, it is probably the most significant factor of all. And, this factor has a name: Paula White-Cain, a "pastor" and televangelist who is credited with having "converted" Trump to Christianity in 2016. (See Wiki quote below.)

"White became a personal minister to Donald Trump after he watched her television show. White said he first contacted her by telephone in 2002. Trump brought White to Atlantic City on multiple occasions for private Bible studies and has appeared on her television show. In June 2016, White was credited by evangelical leader James Dobson with having converted Trump to Christianity. White was part of Trump's Evangelical Advisory Board during his 2016 campaign for president, and she provided the invocation prayer during Trump's inauguration ceremony."

Note: On February 7, 2025, DJT announced the creation of the "White House Faith Office," to be led by (none other) than Paula White-Cain, a move that caused some controversy. (Maybe it's those "Seven supernatural blessings" she's selling...)

To witness White-Cain in action - and, really, you must - see this video short, wherein she claims DJT is God and, later, "speaks in tongues." (Parseltongue... or a form of hypnosis?) Then, watch this video short where she gleefully calls the man a GOAT... possibly code for this goat?

And, the charade continues...

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(The MAGA leader fancies himself the right-hand man of Christ; a pseudo Christ, ordained by the gods of war and a troop of grifters.

No worries.The con-men have you covered...

in a blanket of hypnotic deception

from which you may never recover

as these self-appointed apostles plot, pillage and plunder;

placing, yet, one more paralyzing obstacle in the way of justice.

April 28, 2026, DS.)

I have always hated politics. While some form of government is a necessary component of a functional civilization, one expects it to behave in a civilized manner. The business of a functioning government should, ideally, not come at the price of the (unpaid) citizen's sanity and emotional well-being.

But, when it does, it is an artist's duty to translate and illuminate whatever memes and anomalies arise... in the interests of posterity, the public record, and the general health of those fellow citizens in reach.

One does what they could... in an atmosphere presently clogged with numerous, destructive political memes - literally emerging one after another ad infinitum in a seemingly deliberate, premeditated way. Once again, our time spent dealing with these melodramas is an unpaid labor.

Case in point, as I was painfully attempting to get this post out of draft - which derailed my attempts to finish others far more important to my signature themes and new developments regarding Mac Tonnies - a bizarre assassination attempt became front page news:

Live updates: Trump uninjured after security incident at White House correspondents dinner; no injuries reported

Interesting takeaway: "On the eve of the dinner, nearly 500 retired journalists signed a petition calling on the association "to forcefully demonstrate opposition to President Trump’s efforts to trample freedom of the press.”

But, not to worry. This post is finished.

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Addendum

April 30, 2026

Yeah, right.

Alas, the distractions never end. No sooner did the ink dry on the cartoons I posted, when more defense was needed for another onslaught of malignant MAGA memes.

On April 29 another meme arrived on Truth Social in the form of a new AI image. The Mar-a-lago Messiah had morphed into a Corporate Rambo, waving an assault weapon with the caption: No More Mr. Nice Guy! Oddly enough, it was (allegedly) directed at Iran, a country Trump has been bombing for weeks now. No news there. But, what makes it remarkable is that it coincided with a visit to the White House by the honorable British King Charles to commemorate the 250th anniversary of America's winning independence from the British monarchy... which falls on July 4. What could possibly go wrong?

Untitled - Editorial Cartoon - April 28, 2026 - Chris Britt

Well, no, happily this topic didn't come up. (Sorry, Charles.) But, the event started off as surreal as one might imagine, with a weird spin on history that only DJT could invent:

“American patriots today can sing ‘my country ‘tis of thee, great land of liberty’ because our colonial ancestors first sang ‘God Save the King,’ the president said."

(?)

Moving right along, King Charles - the real deal - gave a speech that reminded us of an eloquence, diplomacy and dignity we seldom experience in American politics anymore. There were also moments of dry humor the Brits are known for, as he called "the president’s second term “historic” and said it’s a pleasure to “be back in this wonderful building, the heart of your democracy.” He then referred to the “readjustments to the East Wing,” adding that the British made their own attempt at “real estate redevelopment of the White House in 1814” when British forces burned the White House building." 

But then, we learn (via Politico):

"As King Charles addressed Congress, White House officials were busy on X, posting a photo of him and Trump laughing together with the caption: 'TWO KINGS'.”

Sigh. Alas, there are no vaccines for hazardous memes (and no fixing stupid). But, in times like these, when humor is mandatory, we have, at least, our satirical, memetic antidotes!

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(My thanks to all the very many editorial artists and journalists who have come to the table during this ongoing crisis. You are our voices of sanity. I especially would like to thank the unwitting artists whose cartoons I used in this post and the journalists whose quotes I used. I can't pay you because my blog is free and I make no profit. There are no funds to share. But, whether or not it matters, your cartoons and quotes are some of the best out there! Moreover, I think all our intentions are the same: maintaining a free press in a free world... with an allegiance to the Truth.)