Michael deAdder cartoon takes aim at Donald Trump
Cassie Williams | CBC News | Posted: November 9, 2016 5:46 PM | Last Updated: November 9, 2016
'I think we're going to need a few laughs to get through it,' says Halifax-based political cartoonist
Halifax cartoonist Michael deAdder has had months to perfect his stocky, small-handed, combover sketch of Donald Trump, but on Tuesday evening he was preparing a drawing heralding a Hillary Clinton presidential win.
He, like many pollsters, was wrong.
"I went in last night thinking about what I had to draw," he said Wednesday. "Obviously as a cartoonist you have to start drawing before the results come in. I sort of had a Hillary Clinton winning scenario started and I slowly realized that I was going to need a second version."
DeAdder's election cartoon instead shows Trump trying to kiss a dejected-looking Lady Liberty. It has the caption: "I knew you wanted me," a nod to the numerous sexual assault allegations against Trump.
Bright side for political satirists
DeAdder's cartoons appear in newspapers across North America.
He is not shy about his opposition to Trump and his politics, but he does hope his presidency will lead to more work for political satirists and cartoonists.
"If there's a small silver lining in the large, nuclear mushroom cloud called Donald Trump it's the fact that I think newspapers are going to have a more difficult time not having a political cartoonist on staff," he said.
"I think we're going to need a few laughs to get through it."
And Trump will likely provide plenty of fodder.
"I often said the crazier the politicians, the easier it is to get through my day. But this may be way over the top," he said.
Trying to work around the 'obvious gag'
Before the tide began to turn against Clinton on Tuesday, deAdder said he had a few ideas about what to draw had Hillary won.
"There's always the possibility of doing the 'You're Fired,' and having her fire him, but that was the obvious gag and I was trying to work away from that," he said.
DeAdder's not shy about his thoughts on Trump winning the election, calling it the "worst possible outcome," especially given the Senate and House are both controlled by Republicans.
He said it will undo the last eight years of what he considers major progress by the Barack Obama administration.
"I was looking forward to a world where we had a woman president. I have two girls and I thought we were going to wake up differently today and the world was going to be a better place. I'm not sure that's what we got."