A newly unveiled painting depicting US President Donald Trump and his team crossing a swamp in a boat has taken social media by storm. And there's little wonder about why, honestly, because where else would you see National Security Advisor John Bolton gripping a gun? Or a gator-filled swamp in front of the White House? Or — preposterous — Melania Trump in a camouflage jacket?
The painting, entitled "Crossing the Swamp," is an obvious shout-out to another painting, the famous "Washington Crossing the Delaware," but the new one replaces Washington's crew with Trump's team. And it also adds a lot of its own details, too.
My new painting – “Crossing the Swamp”
— Jon McNaughton (@McNaughtonArt) 31 июля 2018 г.
“Never give up. Never lower your light.
Never stop till the swamp is dry.” – Jon McNaughton
For a list of figures in the boat: https://t.co/ZIPdkBgcFU pic.twitter.com/CTPndvK5LM
The painting portrays the president with a candle light at the helm, with Vice President Mike Pence and First Lady Melania holding the US flag behind him. The literal swamp is filled with alligators, and the White House is visible in the background.
The artist who created the painting, Jon McNaughton, presented it to the world in a tweet on July 31.
"Never give up. Never lower your light. Never stop till the swamp is dry," the painter commented.
Putting aside everything else, Ben Carson appears to be rowing backwards.
— Mike Brown (@mb9981) 31 июля 2018 г.
They are literally rowing in a circle.
— David Blount (@DSBlount) 31 июля 2018 г.
ok but Melania wouldn't be caught dead in a camo hunting jacket https://t.co/OMrlM7ctB8
— David Mack (@davidmackau) 31 июля 2018 г.
McNaughton's tweet also links to a list the full cast of figures featured in the painting. Apart from the president and vice president, they are: U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley; Defense Secretary James Mattis; Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson; Attorney General Jeff Sessions; first lady Melania Trump; Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders; the president's daughter and advisor Ivanka Trump; National Security Advisor John Bolton; Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway; and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly.
McNaughton is a vocal Trump supporter, having a MAGA hashtag in his Twitter profile bio. He is a prolific artist, having created a large number of politically, socially and sometimes religiously themed paintings. Some of his other works depict Trump holding a US flag close to his chest in a football stadium (a reference to the controversy over NFL players protesting during pre-game national anthem renditions), and Trump holding a key to a white fence with an open door and a padlock (a nod toward the president's emphasis on border security and immigration policy).
