A great big red brick wall shrouding all blue sky from view ― it’s an image chock full of symbolism that feels more appropriate than ever following Donald Trump’s shocking election victory this week.
“When we first received the results of the election, we felt as though we had hit a brick wall, full force,” New Yorker art editor Françoise Mouly wrote about the magazine’s cover for next week, created by illustrator Bob Staake.
Aside from that, there’s the obvious. The president-elect plans to fund the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border within his first 100 days in office, as announced in October as part of his plan called “Donald Trump’s Contract With The American Voter.”
It also speaks to the despair and despondency so many people are experiencing as he prepares to take over the White House.
“The election of Donald Trump to the Presidency is nothing less than a tragedy for the American republic, a tragedy for the Constitution, and a triumph for the forces, at home and abroad, of nativism, authoritarianism, misogyny, and racism,” David Remnick, the magazine’s editor, wrote in a piece posted shortly after Trump claimed victory.
But all hope is not lost.
“To combat authoritarianism, to call out lies, to struggle honorably and fiercely in the name of American ideals ― that is what is left to do. That is all there is to do,” Remnick added.
