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From "No Kings" to "No Dance", this is a catchup on recent cartoons
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Keeping up with headlines is like running on a treadmill
I will try to maintain a weekly update schedule with Frank’s Buffalo Born Babble, but there will be slinky-like squeezes and stretches from time to time. This installment is one of those squeezes.
PART I
First, the runup to No Kings Day #3 on March 28.
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Thanks for reading Frank's Buffalo Born Babble! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
President Donald Trump hosted Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on March 19, 2026, to strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance, with a focus on economic cooperation and security amid tensions in the Middle East. The summit included discussions on semiconductor supply chains, a $40 billion nuclear project, and regional security challenges.
When a reporter questioned why the U.S. had not notified allies before launching strikes on Iran, Trump defended the secrecy by citing the importance of surprise, stating, “Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor?”
A mic drop moment if there ever was one.
Read the full report at BBC News.
I had the upcoming No Kings rally on my mind for a cartoon, but I couldn’t let the cringey Pearl Harbor comment pass either, so both topics were fused into one gag as shown above.
Side note: An irate Facebooker chimes in
My editorial cartoons are posted first on Facebook, with the good intention of following up here within hours, where I can provide behind-the-scenes animation and source references. Facebook has a tightly controlled (and mysterious) system for audience reach and engagement, and I had hoped by now that I would be free of its shackles. However, I have almost 9K followers—a debatable term—between my personal and business pages, so I regularly try to convert them into Substack subscribers before scrapping that platform.
I prefaced the “No Kings - Third Wave” cartoon with this tongue-in-cheek apology:
I was a printmaking major in college, but I never came close to producing anything like The Great Wave off Kanagawa, one of the most reproduced works of art ever. In the afterlife, I hope the artist, Katsushika Hokusai, doesn't punch my lights out.
Source: Me
He should and likely will punch your lights out- the wave is not political and should not be used for such left wing extreme bullshit.
Source: Maggie C.
What a sourpuss! I imagine Leonardo Da Vinci has bruised knuckles and maybe a broken hand, considering how many times Mona Lisa has been “irreverently” used for comedic purposes.
My very first public protest
During the final days of my senior year in high school (1971), the class prank tradition was faithfully executed by several bold classmates. A red VW Beetle, owned by the primary prankster, was rolled into the main foyer. I don’t believe any school doors were damaged in the process, but the Beetle suffered a broken vent window to facilitate its removal.
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All of this led to the big protest and walkout. We had a class size of 400, and our age group had been conditioned by TV coverage of the Vietnam anti-war protests in the late 1960s. Monkeys see, and monkeys do.
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Alas, I was not one of the 50, but I did attend the class meeting in the auditorium, more out of curiosity than outrage. That sums up my activism resume until March 28, 2026.
To boldly go where I’d never gone before
I followed the previous No Kings protests online mainly to see the witty and clever handmade signs and posters. Public events like this were not for me, though. I preferred to be a passive protester through my editorial cartoons. Kind of a copout, I suppose, but I’m a better cartoonist than a chanter of catchy slogans.
There were many times I didn’t know what to do with my anger over this administration’s hasty, one-after-the-other, attention-grabbing actions. Cartooning wasn’t fully scratching the itch. A former co-worker and a column written by Robert Reich nudged me out of my comfort zone.
I figured I could create one helluva poster and take my editorial cartooning to the street. Win-win!
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I chose to go to Niagara Falls instead of Buffalo or other nearby demonstrations because that’s the home of the newspaper that publishes my editorial cartoons.
It was a cold day with a stiff breeze, which made it difficult to hold the sign up. It was invigorating, however, with dozens and dozens of friendly car honks and enthusiastic waves. Maybe 3 cars flipping us the finger. One car had a small sign that said we were the enemy of the people.” Interesting overall. The “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Donald Trump has got to go,” chant was reminiscent of the 60s. My favorite sign was “it’s so bad even the introverts are here!”
PART II
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I had given up on the thought that construction of the “El Trumpioso Mucho Grande $400M Golden Ballroom” would be stopped by any authority with clout. My doomish outlook was brightened on March 31 when U.S. District Judge Richard Leon issued a preliminary injunction, halting construction.
Leon ruled that the project, which replaced the demolished East Wing, lacked the necessary Congressional approval. Furthermore, he added personal admonitions to President Hasty.
“The president of the United States is the steward of the White House for further generations of first families,” Senior U.S. District Judge Richard Leon wrote. “He is not, however, the owner!”
“This clearly is not how Congress and former presidents have managed the White House for centuries, and this court will not be the first to hold that Congress has ceded its powers in such a significant fashion!” Leon wrote.
In his conclusion, Leon said it was not too late for Congress to ultimately approve the ballroom project, appropriate the necessary funds or decide some other funding scheme is acceptable. Either way, Leon wrote, Congress will retain its authority over the nation’s property and its government spending oversight.
Source: Courthouse News Service
I don’t have much confidence that Congress will deny Trump his wish, but I can dream, can’t I?
Side note: Another irate Facebooker chimes in:
The first comment about this cartoon on Facebook was a gem.
Jesus, seek help for TDS
Source: Michael T
I don't think Jesus needs to seek help.
SOURCE: Me
The next comment was longer and very detailed.
Uh dude…why in the F would you or anyone else buck improving the WH? Do you dumbasses not realize that every freaking President since Truman has done major construction on the WH? To the tune of basketball court (didn’t hear you bitching when Obama did that)…an indoor swimming pool…a bowling alley…the Truman balcony…a new Rose Garden…a mini golf course and putting greens…JFKs wife completely redesigned and renovated and redecorated the whole WH…solar panels put all on the roof…outdoor swimming pool…new tennis court…new security fences…major changes to the situation room…
Stop whining…any improvement is a good thing…and these are costing us NOTHING! So uh stfu…
Source: David L. F.
*SIGH* Keyboard warriors are a brave lot.
Congratulations! You have survived this double issue of “Frank’s Buffalo Born Babble”!
