- by Kevin Necessary
In order to escape the hell that is the Trump/Musk world we’re enduring (perfectly captured by Kevin’s cartoon above), I always like to imagine what some of our most inspiring leaders would say confronting all that we face today.
How would they unite us to stand up to the intentional destruction we are seeing?
What would they challenge us to do?
For me, at least, imagining these words keeps a North Star shining. Reminds us what patriotic democracy champions actually sound like.
So drawing on his messages as president, I give you an FDR-style state of the union:
Mr. Speaker….
…Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, and my fellow Americans:
I address you tonight at a fraught moment for our nation—a moment that demands the clarity of purpose and the courage of action that have defined our Republic in its finest hours.
Of course, our challenges are many.
Economic inequality has reached staggering levels, with wealth concentrated in the hands of a few while millions struggle to make ends meet amid rising prices and the onset of mass layoffs.
Political power has been captured by those who wield their riches as a weapon, threatening the very foundations of our democracy and overwhelming the common good and the public’s ability to secure it.
Climate change accelerates with devastating consequences for our communities and future generations, while technological change offers both great risk and uncharted opportunity.
Abroad, authoritarian regimes aggressively destabilize an order we long took for granted. This authoritarian attack now enlists allies on our own shores.
And tempted by power and wealth, or lacking the courage to lose them, too many Americans are signing on—including some in this very chamber.
You know who you are.
On Oligarchy and Musk
The first two challenges are deeply intertwined.
Concentrated wealth has emerged as a true cancer infecting all elements of our democracy and economy. The forces of greed and selfishness are turning our government into “a mere appendage to their own affairs.” Let us say to them now what I said years ago: “Government by organized money is just as dangerous as government by organized mob.”
Specifically, billionaires pour untold sums into campaigns and lobbying while directing untraceable dark money into every corner of society, drowning out the voices of ordinary Americans as to how they should be governed.
This, my fellow Americans, is the root cause of so much that is holding back American workers, families and communities.
With their hands now firmly on the government tiller, and to maximize their own profits and riches, these oligarchs squeeze workers to keep wages and payrolls low, bilk consumers with higher prices on everything from groceries to medicines, and endanger families and communities by watering down regulation needed to keep them safe and healthy.
And allow me to address the DOGE in the room.
The actions of Mr. Musk and his associates mirror those of the economic royalists I warned about in prior years, when I said: “It was natural and perhaps human that the privileged princes of these new economic dynasties, thirsting for power, reached out for control over Government itself.”
Make no mistake, their dismantling of vital government agencies and services and the bypassing of constitutional checks and balances are not acts of efficiency or savings, but attacks on the foundations of our republic. Musk and his modern-day economic royalists are “creating a new economic despotism and wrapping it in the robes of legal sanction.”
We must defend our common interests and the institutions that protect the common good, not surrender to the whims of any individual, no matter how wealthy or influential.
Enough.
Of the many reforms needed, we must start at the source—the overwhelming and disproportionate control of America’s most well-off over the rest of us. To restore fairness to our economy and integrity to our democracy, we must:
End the flood of dark money into our politics by limiting campaign-related spending, and demanding full and rapid transparency of all such activity. And if this requires a Constitutional amendment to ensure it happens, well…we’re long overdue for one.
Break up monopolies that stifle competition, stagnate wages, exploit consumers and warp how Americans communicate with one another.
Implement comprehensive tax reform that ensures billionaires pay their fair share and reduces deficits.
Restore civil service to government, so those working in the public sphere are there to serve the common good, and not the privileged and hyper-partisan few. And that starts at the top, with cabinet members serving the same mission.
Only when these and other political reforms are implemented—ridding our political system of the strangling influence of massive sums of oligarch money—will we be able to pursue a broader agenda of reform that, once again, lifts the interests and well-being of everyday Americans. As we pursue such reforms, I will be guided by the same standard I have applied from the past: “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.”
On Climate Change
Climate change is not a distant threat; it is here now.
Wildfires rage, hurricanes devastate, and rising seas threaten our coasts and the way of life of so many Americans. Yet some still deny this reality, blinded by the temptation of profit over the sustainability of our planet. To them I say: “The Nation that destroys its soil destroys itself.”
We must embark on a bold new course:
Invest in clean energy and transition to renewable energy sources like wind and solar, creating new jobs and reducing our carbon footprint.
Create millions of jobs retrofitting buildings and developing sustainable and climate friendly infrastructure.
Rejoin international climate agreements and lead by example.
This is not merely an environmental issue; it is a moral imperative.
Future generations will live with the results of our work today.
Restoring Democracy
Our democracy has been shaken by manufactured polarization, unending voter suppression, lack of accountability, and disinformation.
Time and again, the wealthy few and their political minions create and exploit division to maintain their grip on power. They pit Americans against one another in a battle for crumbs, as they gorge on the loaf. They work overtime to exclude voters who disagree with their views from the democratic process, and trap them in electoral deserts where they have no influence. At both the federal and state levels, corruption now runs rampant, presented as “policy” but too often a front for the private heist of public resources and power. And everyone from our school children to small businesses to our seniors pay the price.
Instead of abiding these tactics any longer, we must rebuild trust in our institutions through bold reform, transparency and accountability.
I propose:
Enacting a new Voting Rights Act to ensure that every American can vote without obstruction or intimidation, to end the gerrymandering that hollows out democracy and eliminates accountability at both the federal and state levels, and to reenforce the rule of law that rests at the foundation of a healthy democracy.
Cleaning up corruption, using federal and state powers to crack down on the intentional abuse of the political system to reward greed and protect graft
Reenacting and enforcing rules against conflicts of interest for public officials, and casting sunlight into the rooms and hallways where important government decisions are made.
International Leadership
Abroad, authoritarian regimes are undermining democracy in every region of the globe. We cannot stand idly by while freedom is under assault.
To meet this challenge, we will:
Reaffirm our commitments to NATO and other democratic coalitions that have kept democracy strong for most of the past 100 years. When we abandon our allies or leverage their vulnerabilities for our gain, we deliver victories to authoritarians who are already on the march.
Support democracy and human rights, providing aid to those fighting oppression around the world. As I said during another time of peril: “We are fighting for the universal freedoms that all people deserve—freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.” Everywhere.
Reinvest in diplomacy, using dialogue and aid as a tool for peace, while always vigilant to defend liberty and the rule of law.
For years, words I once spoke—that “the world has been gravely threatened with gangster rule”—felt like a concern from the past. But we have allowed that bleak reality to return today in too much of the world, and even our own country.
Together, with like-minded nations, we must ensure that tyranny and “government by gangster” do not prevail.
My fellow Americans, these are daunting times—but they are not without hope. In every corner of this nation, I see resilience and determination. People are waking. They are beginning to stand up and speak up. They see that, united, they are the answer to the forces who would reign over us from above.
We are the answer.
As I once said: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Let us cast aside fear and embrace courage, common purpose, and empathy for one another.
Tonight, I call upon every American to join in this great effort:
To demand opportunity and justice where there is deep inequality.
To demand accountability where there is corruption.
To demand action where there is complacency.
To demand democracy and the rule of law, here and everywhere.
Let history say of this generation what it said of those who have come before—that when faced with great challenges, division and yes, fear itself, we rose above those challenges with courage and conviction.
That we, too, firmly grabbed the baton of democracy, raced forward with it firmly in hand, and overcame them all.
May God bless you all, and may God bless America!
Day 93 — March 3, 2025
Donald Trump announced that he is suspending military aid to Ukraine, while reconfirming the imposition of 25% tariffs on trade with Canada, America’s largest trading partner, and Mexico. Stock market prices plunged as he made the announcement, with the Dow falling 700 points on the day.
And now onto Kevin’s Commentary…
Welcome back, friends, to another behind the scenes look at my cartooning process. Buckle up in the Cybertruck as we careen through last week's rough sketches.
Every week feels like it's now a decade. (Yeah, I know the Lenin quote.) But my god, so much has happened since the inauguration. That's by design; they're flooding the zone with shit, as Steve Bannon once said. Break everything and everyone at once, and don't give anyone a chance to catch up.
The insidious aspect to all of this is while we can see the results of Elon's and Trump's coup, and many people, such as terminated federal workers, are immediately affected, I would venture to guess most people in the United States are still chugging along as normal. Our government, like our country, is vast. The effects of Elon's and Trump's chaos won't be immediately felt. That helps dull whatever resistance there might be. Many people have yet to be personally impacted by the consequences of this coup and therefore feel no reason to fight back. My hope is that these Americans will wake up before it's too late.
Trump is solidly anti-democracy. There is no reason to believe he won't try to stay in power as long as possible. After his administration ended congestion pricing in New York, Trump went on social media to hail his accomplishment and proclaim "LONG LIVE THE KING." Soon after the White House posted a fake Time Magazine cover featuring Trump as a king. Trump also wonders aloud if he could — or should — have a third term in office. Could Mango Mussolini be any more obvious about his intent to indefinitely hold power?
"It's a joke," is the standard reply from Republicans whenever Trump says something outrageous. Surely, they say, he won't do anything that crazy. He's just a big goofball with a great sense of humor. Stop taking him so seriously! It's a joke ...
... just like when he joked about staying in office for a third term at least as far back as 2019. Or when he's called for China and Russia to investigate his enemies. Or when he joked about buying Greenland.
What a funny guy!
My first sketch is a glimpse into the future, with the head of Donald Trump preserved in a jar and hooked up to a life support system, pondering a 10th term in office. Next to him is a GOP elephant telling us folks not to worry, as it's just a joke.
I really like this sketch. I have fun anytime I can draw a big piece of goofy, retro-futuristic machinery that wouldn't seem out of place in an old Looney Tunes cartoon. I wouldn't be surprised if this sketch one day makes the transition from rough to finished cartoon.
Even before the embarrassing spectacle of Trump and JD Vance shouting at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, we've all known Trump is firmly in Putin's corner. Putin is a lawless dictator who caters to oligarchs. Trump aspires to be just like Putin. He has no allegiance to the free world or to our friends and allies.
A longtime cornerstone of the current American and Republican mythos is that Ronald Reagan stood firm against Russia and won the Cold War. Reagan’s America was “the good guy,” the proverbial Rebel Alliance fighting the Evil Empire. Sure, Reagan propped up murderous dictators and initiated illegal arms deals with bloody regimes. But he was doing it to stop Russia, aka the bad guys. Go good guys!
(And of course there were all the ways Reagan screwed Americans over, but we don’t have that much time.)
I wanted to show just how far the Republican Party has now strayed from Reagan’s staunch stance against Russia. In the foreground Trump is frolicking with Putin, while in the background, a Republican elephant tries to shield the eyes of a giant portrait of the Gipper.
This is one of those ideas that pops into my head right as I’m going to sleep. I saw it fairly clearly in my mind. The one thing I liked more about my mental concept than I do the sketch was that the image in my head was drawn much more cartoony. I initially saw it with both Trump and Putin having noodle arms like an old Walt Disney cartoon from the 1920s. I wish I would have drawn that.
After the Oval Office debacle I went back and finished this cartoon on my own. I’ve found it interesting seeing comments from those who understand what I’m getting at, and those who believe I’ve put Reagan on a pedestal. The cartoon is aimed at those who lionize Reagan while also cheering on Trump. I personally think Reagan was a terrible president who set the stage for much of our current mess. But while I think Reagan did a lot of harm to Americans, America, and much of the world, he was never as autocratic and blatantly vile as Trump, and allies around the world saw Reagan as a credible leader.
Speaking of leadership, where are our leaders? Ever since the inauguration, many Americans have found themselves looking to elected Democratic officials to lead a resistance to Trump and MAGA. But the response has been mostly tepid. There are some strong voices out there, such as AOC and Bernie. So far, though, it seems that Democrats and even non-MAGA Republicans have either been caught off guard, or still hope that the traditional institutions, such as elections and checks and balances, will hold.
Of all the missing voices that could be speaking out against Trump, perhaps the most noticeable is the silence from former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. Any of these three men could be out there right now, condemning Trump and his goon squad and reminding Americans that we have so much to lose if the damage continues. They are uniquely qualified to stand up to Trump and galvanize Americans. Yet none has done so.
I sketched the three ex-presidents together as part of a typical “MISSING” flier, the kind that you might see stapled on a telephone pole seeking a runaway cat. The hard part about this sketch was trying to convey a that it was a telephone pole. Without any background, or visual context such as the telephone lines, it doesn’t quite come across as what it’s intended to be. Maybe I’m just being too hard on the concept. I think had I drawn this as a final cartoon, I would have added even more signs just to make the setting more obvious.
My final sketch, which became the cartoon, came about after reading comments from various Democratic officials and from conversations I’ve had with friends. Those comments boil down to, essentially, this: “Trump and MAGA are inept and will shoot themselves in the foot. Trust in our institutions. The guardrails will hold.”
Maybe I’m too pessimistic, but the guardrails of our democracy work only when all sides use the guardrails in good faith. Trump and his MAGA cult couldn’t care less about good faith, let alone our democracy. They are going to break everything without regard to legalities, ethics, or whether it fundamentally damages our country. The guardrails have already been broken. Busted through. We’re off the side of the cliff.
And that’s the scene I drew in my final cartoon. I sketched out a Democratic donkey strapped into a Cybertruck with Trump at the wheel, careening off the side of a cliff, the guardrails bent and broken beyond repair. The Democrat is obviously terrified and is fairly certain they’re about to crash, but he keeps repeating to himself that the guardrails will hold, as if repeating that mantra will make it come true.
This may be the first time I’ve ever drawn a cartoon with a car blasting off the side of a cliff. It’s an old cartoonist chestnut, symbolizing a situation that’s out of control. I don’t know why it took over a decade of drawing cartoons to have my own go at this classic editorial cartooning setup, but it worked.
And that about does it for me this week, friends. As always, thank you for subscribing to Pepperspectives. I’ll be back next week with more rough sketches. Until then, take care.
