Revenge Royale

The “substance” of this strip is pretty straightforward. Kristen Welker of Meet the Press challenges President Trump’s lies about the 2020 election being stolen and irregularities in California’s midterm election. Since he has none he insults her, the media, and the intelligence of the American people, then storms off in a huff. The winner by TKO: Kristen Welker.

But wait! Trump has a cage match scheduled on the White House lawn on his birthday (this Sunday if you want to send him a card). Trump hates losing, especially to women, so he’d love a revenge match. So why waste a perfectly good Octagon? Revenge Royale seems the inevitable, if not logical, result.

Making the strip was a bit of a battle. After numerous, time-consuming false starts, it became clear that creating a dreamlike image of Trump and Welker facing off in that MMA style was beyond my skill set. So I brought in help: ChatGPT. I normally don’t use AI in Sketchier strips (although it helps out with some of the Sketchier Adjacent items). This is an exception, and while I made some adjustments, that image is ChatGPT’s. Mea culpa.

And while we’re dishing out kudos, Ms. Welker deserves a bunch of them. Standing up to those in power and forcing them to address reality is what journalists are supposed to do. Yet it happens so rarely with Trump. Welker’s interview was an important exception for which she deserves thanks and appreciation.

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