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Pro-Melania Trump Political Cartoon Presents Michelle Obama As Pre-Op Transgender Woman

By Zachary Volkert
Published on: 12:56 PST, May 14, 2016

First ladies like Michelle Obama and, potentially, Melania Trump open themselves up to the possibility of being criticized, or perhaps more accurately — mocked.

Political cartoons crudely accentuating Michelle’s features have existed since her husband first began his presidential campaign in 2007. Melania, on the other hand, has found herself at all-time high of public scrutiny as her husband, Donald Trump, has become the Republican party’s presumptive nominee. One political cartoonist, Ben Garrison, capitalized on the moment to compare the Obama administration to the one he hoped would be taking over the White House next — a nation under Donald.

Looking at the cartoon, it’s clear that the artist intended to portray Michelle as masculine, using broad shoulders, bulky muscles and a sturdy stance. Opposite of Mrs. Obama, Melania takes on full Miss America pageant poise and proudly holds a sign announcing “Trump.” Taking it one step further, the current First Lady is depicted with a thick bulge between her legs.

Reaction to the political cartoon on Twitter was mixed, with many of the conservative artist’s followers commending him for coming after Michelle so unabashedly. According to those supporters, Melania was clearly the more appealing First Lady compared to the “manly” Obama — just one of the many perks of passing the presidency on to the Trump family.

Of course, those opinions far from dominated the social media response to the “Michelle is a trans woman” cartoon. Plenty showed up to scoff at the claim that Melania had anything to offer the American people in comparison to Mrs. Obama, a highly-educated lawyer.

Taking a look at the rest of the political cartoonist’s Twitter posts, Garrison seems to be targeting hot-button issues like trans rights in order to rile up Social Justice Warriors (SJWs) while simultaneously galvanizing his own conservative far-right base. Michelle Obama and Melania Trump are just two of several targets he’s taken a swipe at lately — though these two particular targets are getting him some of his most attention yet.

Do you think the political cartoon depicting a masculine Michelle Obama next to a idealized feminine version of Melania Trump crossed a line?

[Image via Chip Somodevilla and Win McNamee/Getty Images]

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