18° and Overcast
Frank MarianiDec 13, 2025
Thank you, Sukie C., for this idea!
The rough stuff
Usually, I follow the finished cartoon with a time-lapse video of the drawing process. This time, I’ve included only the initial rough submitted for approval.
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The words
This cartoon began, as many do, with something Trump actually said — or very nearly said. His habit of reducing entire countries to crude stereotypes, including his remarks about Somalia, has always felt less like policy and more like reflex. In that framing, Somalia exists mainly as a punchline: piracy, chaos, and people he doesn’t want here.
The Optics
The idea snapped into focus with the recent seizure off the coast of Venezuela. There is, of course, debate over whether the vessel was sailing under a false flag or employing familiar sanctions-evasion tactics. Whatever one thinks of Venezuela’s government, the optics are hard to miss. Condemning piracy while engaging in a forceful seizure of another nation’s cargo invites comparison — and cartoons thrive on that kind of symmetry.
The Echo
The point isn’t that the U.S. has suddenly turned pirate. It’s that language has consequences. When you define the world in crude terms long enough, you may eventually start acting them out — and discover the costume fits better than expected.
Is a land invasion coming? I hope not. Some pirate songs are better left unsung — especially the “Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest” verse.
