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Leila Navidi’s photograph for the Minneapolis Star Tribune shows St. Paul neighbors on a Cathedral Hill sidewalk on February 11, 2026, standing shoulder to shoulder with their phones raised as militarized ICE agents turn away.

What began as a spontaneous response to a high‑speed crash caused by an ICE chase becomes, in her frame, a rare picture of collective solidarity—everyday residents forming a united front, documenting federal power, and quietly claiming the moral ground.

While the image went viral, little was written about why it had such an impact. In our latest Chatting the Pictures video, we read it detail by detail, to show how its composition, timing, and gestures have made it a breakthrough resistance picture for this state and this moment. Watch now:

The events that built this picture

What follows are “companion images” that show how the Twin Cities had been visually building toward that moment, and how much Navidi’s photograph carries in a single frame.

Patriotism

The flag that once staged official power becomes a neighborhood standard here—an early glimpse of the homegrown patriotism that will crest in Navidi’s frame, when residents claim the street as theirs.

Solidarity

Residents pack a school auditorium as a community organizer walks them through the federal crackdown and ICE raids in Minneapolis, one of many neighborhood meetings that sprang up to understand the violence and plan a collective response.

These rooms and streets are the scaffolding beneath Navidi’s stand‑off: a city that has already been meeting, learning, and shivering together, so that when ICE rolls in again, neighbors know instinctively how to show up with their bodies and their phones.

Doggedness

By the time we reach Navidi’s picture, that ethic of systematically following and filming has moved from lone individuals and resistance networks to a whole block of neighbors, turning pursuit into a spontaneous neighborhood reflex.

Key Icons

In Navidi’s photo, that commitment condenses into objects. At the far left, a woman stands with a phone in one hand and a whistle in the other, her body oriented toward the agents.

Closer to the center of Navidi’s frame, an agent’s chemical spray rides in his shirt pocket; to the right, a woman in a brown coat grips a water bottle, ready to flush someone’s eyes if that spray is used. The picture quietly pits weapon against antidote—state chemical agents against neighborhood first aid—turning domestic items into icons of everyday defense.

Journalists Represent

Here the journalist is not just a byline but a protagonist, part of the visible frontline. In Navidi’s picture, that role doubles: Sam Stroozas, the MPR reporter anchoring the frame in her bathrobe and slippers, and Leila Navidi, the Star Tribune photographer behind the camera, are witnesses of the witnesses, documenting a citizenry that has turned its cameras—and its attention—back on the state.

Minnesota Strong

Across Minneapolis, scenes like this show neighbors tending to one another in public space, reinforcing that resistance is also mutual care—rides, food, warmth, information. This is a city that learned, brutally and publicly, how to face federal force during the George Floyd uprising, and the administration misreads that history if it thinks Minneapolis will meet an ICE occupation with fear instead of practiced solidarity.

Navidi’s frame condenses that experience into a single confrontation on a residential street, where everyone is someone’s backup and no one stands alone.

Chatting the Pictures is a podcast for pictures. In these 3–4 minute videos, writer and photo historian Cara Finnegan and psychologist and Reading the Pictures publisher Michael Shaw closely examine essential news photos, complemented by related imagery. Produced by Liliana Michelena, the series archive is available on our legacy website, with recent examples on our Instagram feed.

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Despite our visually saturated culture, Reading the Pictures remains one of the few places dedicated to analyzing news photography and media images. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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In our latest 'Chatting the Pictures' video, we examine the aftermath at Camp Mystic—where the dining hall's ripped-open wall stands in stark contrast to the now-placid Guadalupe River that killed 27 children. How does classic camp imagery transform into evidence of institutional failure? And what does a rescue boat reveal about the broader patterns of systemic breakdown in protecting children from climate disasters?

Watch now.

The Great Erasure

Climate disasters are multiplying, intensifying, and breaking records. What's vanishing is our ability to see them as evidence. This photo of tourists in Greece watching flames engulf the nearby hills is a metaphor for our age.

Half a year into Trump's second term, the administration has perfected strategic blindness—systematically dismantling the historic climate measures Biden put in place while disappearing our tools to track its rampant acceleration. Federal climate websites scrubbed clean. NOAA gutted. EPA programs eliminated. FEMA is threatened with extinction. This chosen ignorance all but guarantees that we'll blow past the key climate tipping points, making containment impossible.

The Disasters You Haven't Seen

Was the deluge in the Texas Hill Country a one-off disaster?

Before Kerr County made headlines this summer, 2025 had already delivered a relentless barrage of catastrophic flooding across the United States. In February, a historic torrent swept through Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Virginia, killing 18 and causing over $2 billion in damages—the deadliest and costliest flood in the region's history. May saw atmospheric rivers inundate the Mid-Atlantic, pushing the Potomac River to its highest stage in decades.

What follows is a sample of recent climate catastrophes that have received little coverage despite their scale. These are just the latest in an escalating series that includes last fall's Hurricane Helene and Milton one-two punch, January's LA firestorms, and this summer's return of Canadian wildfire smoke choking U.S. cities. People don’t hide these disasters—they systematically ignore them and treat them as freak events rather than as evidence of an alarming pattern.

City Drowns

A city of 300,000 people, half-submerged in Guizhou province. Climate change has made extreme rainfall the new normal.

Mass Casualty Graduation

More than 150 people fell ill from extreme heat at a New Jersey graduation, with nine hospitalized. Celebrating milestones in the summer in more and more places now requires emergency medical response.

800 Years, Gone

The Swiss village of Glatten, which had existed for eight centuries, was destroyed when a glacier collapse released nine million tons of rock. The climate crisis isn't just threatening the future—it's erasing the past.

Canada's Annual Crucible

Smoke from dozens of Canadian wildfires blankets multiple U.S. states. The "wildfire season" now lasts year-round, but receives coverage only when American cities are shrouded in a blanket of particulates.

Texas: "Nobody Saw This Coming"

The image perfectly captures the scene for what it is—the photo of a photo op. The play to the cameras, and Trump’s physical diminution in the photo, is a biting commentary on "showing up."

As 1.8 trillion gallons of water—four months' worth of rainfall supercharged by climate change—fell in hours, Camp Mystic, a century-old Christian institution hosting the daughters of Texas political elites, became a death trap. The flood killed twenty-seven children and counselors, while rescuers evacuated the surviving campers as they sang hymns.

Officials deflected blame onto the very emergency agencies Trump had gutted. The White House accused critics of spreading "falsehoods" about warning systems. At the same time, Texas leaders insisted "nobody saw this coming"—despite climate scientists warning for years that intensifying rainfall would make flash floods deadlier.

Faith, Flags, and Blinders

Nowhere is the dismissal of global heating more apparent than in Trump country, where escalating disasters are viewed as acts of God rather than predictable consequences.

The Irony of Loyalty

A Trump campaign sign clings stubbornly to a flood-ravaged home during Hurricane Helene. Even as political loyalty endures the storm, the policies it represents all but guarantee that future disasters will be even more severe.

Praying Away the Crisis

This Kerr County prayer circle, formed in the aftermath of the Texas floods, reveals the conflation of faith and nationalism. In communities where devotion to God and country merge into one, divine providence is seen as the explanation for the devastation, while federal agencies become suspect as enemies.

Martyrdom vs. Real Victim

A car hood painted with Trump's assassination attempt photo sits in flood-devastated Kerr County like a shrine to manufactured martyrdom. While Trump turned it into campaign gold, his followers live with the real consequences of his reality distortion. The "PRAYER" arrow directing citizens to a service for the victims completes the irony.

The Cost of Looking Away

A search-and-rescue volunteer found this Camp Mystic T-shirt along the Guadalupe River. "I hope I find the person to return their belongings, not to find closure," he told a reporter. That hope captures what we've lost to strategic ignorance: the chance to prevent rather than merely recover.

The children of Texas drowned not because the climate crisis was invisible, but because whole political and industrial systems depend on not seeing it. When willful blindness becomes policy, recovery replaces prevention, prayers substitute for preparation, and children become collateral damage in the war on reality.

Chatting the Pictures is a podcast for pictures. In these 3-4 minute videos, we closely examine essential news photos complemented by related imagery. The videos feature writer and photo historian Cara Finnegan and psychologist and Reading the Pictures publisher Michael Shaw. Liliana Michelena produces CTP. You can see the archive on our legacy website and recent examples on our Instagram feed.

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Chatting the Pictures is a feature of Reading the Pictures. Despite our visually saturated culture, we remain among the few sources for analyzing news photography and media images. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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Evgeniy Maloletka took this photo for AP.

» Watch the full video now to see how this image is a visual indictment of U.S. policy towards Ukraine. «

More Arresting Photos

This photo, taken at a Manhattan rally marking the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion, captures a scene of determined global solidarity—starkly at odds with the political U-turn evident in Washington. Amid official deflection and blame—echoes of “Trump’s priority is peace” or “Ukraine never should have started it”—the message scrawled across the protester’s coat cuts to the quick of Russian aggression and the refusal of the administration to hold Moscow responsible.

This photo from a Dublin protest, far from Ukraine’s borders, highlights how the conflict has mobilized Ukrainian communities and supporters around the world. At its center, a woman in traditional folk attire—a vivid vyshyvanka and elaborate floral headdress—embodies Ukraine’s cultural heritage and resilience.

Behind her, a harsh anti-Putin poster provides a jarring contrast to her composed, traditional presence. This visual clash underscores the reality Ukrainians face today: forced to protect not only their territory, but their identity and traditions in the face of aggression. As UNESCO documents the widespread destruction of Ukraine’s cultural sites, the image powerfully reminds us that what’s at stake in this war is much deeper than land—it’s the survival of a people and their culture.

Senator Merkeley’s bold display of Ukraine’s flag during Trump’s State of the Union address stands as a telling act of protest, calling attention to how thoroughly support for Ukraine has been cast aside.

Nathan Howard’s tightly cropped image of Zelensky’s departure from the White House captures a raw moment of political isolation and personal anguish. Taken just after the unprecedented Oval Office confrontation on February 28, 2025—where Trump and Vance berated Zelensky for “disrespect” and demanded concessions in exchange for continued aid—the close framing locks our attention on Zelensky’s expression, making his vulnerability in that moment impossible to ignore.

Remember the right-wing chant during the Iraq War, “These colors don’t run?”

On the very same day that Trump and Vance were bullying Zelensky on live television, a very different story of American involvement unfolded in Kyiv. There, the funeral of U.S. Marine Corps veteran and volunteer medic Ethan Hertweck offered a profound counterpoint. At just 21, Hertweck—his casket draped in both American and Ukrainian flags—laid down his life for the ideals of freedom and solidarity.

Hertweck’s journey was deeply personal: he traveled to Ukraine soon after Russia’s full-scale invasion, first assisting women and children fleeing the war. After returning briefly to the U.S., he undertook combat medical training, then rejoined the front as a medic. He lost his life near Avdiivka in December 2023 while trying to save a wounded comrade. The solemn procession through Kyiv, with Ukrainian soldiers bearing his casket, underscores the respect and gratitude shown to a foreign volunteer who chose to fight for their freedom.

The American and Ukrainian flags united in the ceremony underscore a level of solidarity that stands in stark contrast to the transactional posture of the Trump administration. Hertweck’s sacrifice highlights the widening gap between the values of those who act and the calculations of those who govern.

RIP, medic Hertweck.

This image is among the most unsettling: Ukrainian soldiers, on the front lines, are compelled to hold signs of gratitude in front of a US-supplied Bradley vehicle, their gesture staged for the cameras. Framed as a “flash mob” by the AP, the scene reveals the new, humiliating dynamic, where those risking everything for their country’s survival must publicly perform appreciation to satisfy American political demands and satiate Trump’s ego.

These images collectively tell a story of betrayal that transcends politics—they document the human cost of abandonment. From protests around the world to soldiers forced to show thanks, from acts of defiance in Congress to young volunteers giving their lives, each photo reveals a different way Ukraine has been forsaken, even as it fights for the democratic values Trump has reduced to lip service.

Chatting the Pictures is a podcast for pictures. In these 3-4 minute videos, we closely examine essential news photos complemented by related imagery. The videos feature writer and photo historian Cara Finnegan and psychologist and Reading the Pictures publisher Michael Shaw. Liliana Michelena produces CTP. You can see the archive on our legacy website and recent examples on our Instagram feed.

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Chatting the Pictures is a feature of Reading the Pictures. Despite our visually saturated culture, we remain among the few sources for analyzing news photography and media images. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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In our latest short Chatting the Pictures video podcast, we discuss how the gilded framing of the mugshot allows it to blend seamlessly with the historical presidential portraits in the Oval Office, effectively elevating a booking photo to the status of presidential portraiture. We note how the placement serves as both an act of intimidation and a political statement, signaling the administration’s defiance of norms and disregard for legal consequences. The photo was taken by Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times.

» Watch the full video now to see Trump’s mugshot power play in action «

That West Wing Madness

As a video “chaser,” here are a few more images capturing the idolatry, and chaos in the West Wing.

This stark black-and-white photograph lends historical veracity to an outlaw presidency. The monochrome aesthetic doesn’t just incorporate the mugshot into the scene—it visually codifies Trump’s defiance as fundamental to his governance. By presenting the criminal portrait in the same tones as the surrounding environment, the image normalizes transgression as a feature, not a bug.

Trump going off on Zelensky.

This photo catches White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles—usually maintaining a poker face or staying out of the spotlight altogether—completely off-guard. (Her appearance next to the mugshot in the black-and-white photo is more typical of how you usually see her.) Her expression says everything about what it’s like managing a loose cannon. The shot was snapped during that wild February 2025 press conference with Netanyahu, right after Trump casually dropped his bombshell idea about taking over Gaza, kicking out Palestinians, and building luxury beachfront resorts.

As for Trump’s obsession with the New York Post, the presidential dining room delivers quite a fix. While the gold-framed mugshot serves as a power move, these walls plastered with covers reveal the more personal side of his media addiction. It’s like seeing the complete picture: the intimidating criminal portrait represents the public face of defiance, while this personal shrine of flattering coverage feeds his need for constant validation.

Finally, one of the saddest and most diagnostic photos of narcissism I’ve ever seen—political or otherwise. On the opposite side of the presidential dining room, Trump stands engulfed in his hall of mirrors: the desktop bronze commemorating the attempt on his life reframed as a hero moment, the stereo portraits reflecting his self-worship, his head captured in the actual mirror, with all the kitsch in the room contrasting sharply with the elegant portrait in the upper right of Haitian-born John James Audubon, the famous wildlife artist painted by John Syme.

The way Trump is lost in space, oblivious to his Vice President while drowning in reflections of himself, reveals the profound and gnawing emptiness and soul hunger of the President’s virtually untreatable mental disorder.

Chatting the Pictures is a podcast for pictures. In these 3-4 minute videos, we closely examine essential news photos complemented by related imagery. The videos feature writer and photo historian Cara Finnegan and psychologist and Reading the Pictures publisher Michael Shaw. Liliana Michelena produces CTP. You can see the archive on our legacy website and recent examples on our Instagram feed.

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Chatting the Pictures is a feature of Reading the Pictures. Despite our visually saturated culture, we remain among the few sources for analyzing news photography and media images. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Subscribe now

One plays a cowboy, one plays a construction worker, and another plays a president.

What’s genuinely unsettling isn’t the spectacle itself—it’s how quickly we’ve normalized it. Trump dancing with the Village People at Capital One Arena wasn’t just another campaign stunt. It was the perfect snapshot of how he transforms cultural icons into MAGA propaganda.

On January 19, 2025, just one day before his second inauguration, Trump pulled off his boldest cultural hijacking yet. Trump seamlessly inserted himself as “the president” character alongside the Village People in this Jim Watson photo. The gay icons who once sang about cruising at the YMCA were now MAGA entertainment.

So, how did they get from here…

…to here?

These images, separated by decades but linked by costume and choreography, tell the story of cultural transformation. The gritty Village People photo from 1997, modeling skin for cash and an S&M tableau, captures the group's authentic meaning, while the shot from an inauguration gala this past November reveals its complete absorption into political theater.

What makes this moment particularly significant is how it exposes Trump's broader strategy of cultural appropriation. As you'll see in our video, it follows a simple formula: Co-option. Nostalgia. Entertainment. The '70s anthem "YMCA"—initially celebrating gay culture and coded cruising—has been systematically sanitized for Trump's campaign. After years of resistance, the group finally surrendered to financial incentives, performing live with Trump for the first time.

Our latest Chatting the Pictures video reveals how Trump:

• Perfected his formula: take an iconic gay anthem, strip away its meaning, and turn it into Trump-branded entertainment

• Got his supporters to enthusiastically participate in what’s essentially a drag show while they vote for anti-LGBTQ policies

• Effected a transformation so complete there’s not an ounce of visual irony in any photograph of the performance

Click below to watch our full breakdown of this cultural takeover.

MAGA Cosplay

This Village People performance didn’t happen in isolation - it was part of a broader pattern of political theater that has defined Trump’s return to power. From the 2024 Republican Convention to his second inauguration, MAGA culture has evolved into an elaborate costume drama with recurring characters.

Assassin Style

At the 2024 Republican Convention, this supporter wears a striking “Southern Belle”-style gown that doubles as a political billboard. Adorned with the photo-turned-emblem commemorating the attempt on Trump’s life, the dress transforms political violence into a wearable statement—blurring the line between fashion and propaganda.

The Sheriff

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s carefully staged photo ops—from ICE raids to border patrols on horseback—earned her the nickname “Cosplay Kristi” as she cycles through different law enforcement costumes complete with cowboy hats and bulletproof vests.

The Scion

This Tablet Magazine photo illustration features young JFK Jr. sitting on his father’s lap, their gestures creating a visual fusion between father and son. Trump’s campaign masterfully co-opted the Kennedy mystique after RFK Jr. endorsed him, tapping into America’s enduring fascination with Camelot while grafting the Kennedy legacy as a natural predecessor to MAGA royalty.

The Demolition Man

Elon Musk brandishing a red chainsaw at CPAC, a gift from Argentine President Milei inscribed with “Viva la libertad, carajo” (Long Live Freedom, Damn It!) perfectly encapsulates the theatrical nature of the administration’s government-cutting agenda—turning bureaucratic dismantling into literal performance art.

His Highness

Team Trump posted this bit of AI on its social media. The trickster embraces and glorifies the accusation in that appropriative style while, ironically, the faux painting places him somewhere near Greenwich Village. As they grift and destroy, it’s all so engrossing.

Protest is Growing

Let me address a concern many of you have shared: “Nobody is doing anything” about the Trump/Musk power grab. As someone following over 450 photojournalists on Instagram, I can assure you - grassroots pushback is on the rise.

This photo is from a Washington, D.C. demonstration on NOT MY PRESIDENT’S DAY or NO KINGS DAY (formerly known as President’s Day). Protesters gathered at statehouses nationwide to push back against Trump-era policies and Project 2025. In D.C., USAID staffers and allies blasted the administration’s sudden shutdown of the agency.

This view of protesters filling the downtown LA overpass creates a powerful visual metaphor—immigrants and allies taking the high ground against Trump’s deportation policies. The elevated position transforms an ordinary freeway into its own stage for resistance, offering an unscripted counterpoint to the MAGA political theater.

An upside-down American flag hangs from the famous El Capitan in Yosemite National Park to protest federal job cuts, especially those to the National Park Service.

Pretend Versus Real

From the Village People to protest movements, from cosplay to real political consequences, these images reveal America’s current struggle between entertainment and reality.

Trump has perfected a formula: take cultural icons, strip away their original meaning, and transform them into MAGA spectacles. The Village People's performance wasn’t just entertainment but a blueprint for how his administration operates. While protesters take to the streets and hang flags from El Capitan, Trump’s team turns even resistance into fodder for their ongoing political theater.

The real question isn’t if protests exist but if they can pierce through Trump’s choreographed spectacle that turns every challenge into MAGA theater. As his administration dismantles agencies and causes increasing harm, this clash between substance and spectacle will determine our future.

Chatting the Pictures is a podcast for pictures. In these 3-4 minute videos, we closely examine essential news photos complemented by related imagery. The videos feature writer and photo historian Cara Finnegan and psychologist and Reading the Pictures publisher Michael Shaw. Liliana Michelena produces CTP. You can see the archive on our legacy website and recent examples on our Instagram feed.

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Chatting the Pictures is a feature of Reading the Pictures. Despite our visually saturated culture, we remain among the few sources for analyzing news photography and media images. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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This photo by Mark Mahaney has become even more prophetic since Cara and I discussed it in October 2023. Initially leading a New Yorker review of Walter Isaacson's Musk biography, it now serves as a haunting preview of Musk's unprecedented influence over American governance.

What started as criticism over Musk's corporate power has evolved into grave concerns about his role in American democracy. His record-breaking $290 million contribution to Trump's campaign, coupled with his DOGE team's unauthorized access to federal systems, has transformed him from a controversial business giant into democracy's most dangerous private citizen.

This image is quite the departure from Mahaney’s other portraits of Musk, including his cover photo for Time Magazine’s 2021 Person of the Year or the boy genius portrait by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders on the cover of Isaacson’s biography. Instead of celebrating a visionary, it captured something more disturbing - a man whose psychological instability would come to mirror the axe he is taking to American democracy.

In the video, we explore the photo’s haunting power. The disconnect between body and mind, the predatory features, and the alien-like quality - all speak to both personal and societal madness. Like the disturbed figures in classical paintings, Musk appears simultaneously powerful and unhinged, his mental instability expressed through his racism and love for the wrecking ball. These unsettling parallels reveal a stark reality: our democracy is being actively dismantled by leaders whose delusions and trauma, fueled by hate and thirst for dominance, have unleashed an onslaught of totalitarianism.

Chatting the Pictures is a podcast for pictures. In these 3-4 minute videos, we closely examine essential news photos complemented by related imagery. The videos feature writer and photo historian Cara Finnegan and psychologist and Reading the Pictures publisher Michael Shaw. Liliana Michelena produces CTP. You can see the archive on our legacy website and recent examples on our Instagram feed.

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Chatting the Pictures is a feature of Reading the Pictures. Despite our visually saturated culture, we remain among the few sources for analyzing news photography and media images. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Subscribe now

Pain and fortitude.

Age and motion.

Animation of the white guy and the flag. The “national barrier.”

All the feeling.

All the deliberation.

An astonishing number of words have been expended on the causes and effects of Trump's victory. Still, I’ve read little that is not so abstract, angry, or tactical that it breaks through to me at a gut level.

Trump's return will take the best of our wordsmiths. At the same time, words and reason can only take us so far in generating perspective and context when this mad genius of visual and visceral exploitation, now with eight years more practice, is wringing out our brain stems.

As he and his minions prepare to take over, the media and the legislative class are already cowering, while the billionaires are unable to hide their glee. To maintain perception and sanity amid the insanity, photojournalists must deliver exceptional context and commentary. As visual readers, we need to be more nimble than ever in exposing how Trump plies his dark art.

Packed with feeling, story, context, and symbolism, a photograph of a Black woman waving an American flag at the end of Kamala Harris's election night rally at Howard University is an eloquent example of what we’ll need a lot more of. The image, taken for the Washington Post, teems with cause-and-effect: the racial, gender, and generational shockwave, the eerie animation of young, primarily white males, the stubborn barriers holding back Black women, and the two basic Democratic reactions.

We will need telling images more than ever because photojournalists, unlike other reporters under duress from intimidation and witch hunts, reveal the truth in not so many words. And, like Cara and I are doing here, we need to take the time to identify those images and release those words.

This Chatting the Pictures explores the emotional and symbolic complexity of election night 2024, particularly for most Black women in America. It highlights the juxtaposition of hope and sorrow, focusing on one central figure whose expression conveys a mix of pain, strength, and determination amid political uncertainty. The image is analyzed for broader themes such as patriarchy, nationalism, and marginalization, symbolized by elements like the metal barrier, the blurry motion of the white man, and the American flag.

Chatting the Pictures is a podcast for pictures. In these 3-4 minute videos, we closely examine essential news photos complemented by related imagery. The videos feature writer and photo historian Cara Finnegan and psychologist and Reading the Pictures publisher Michael Shaw. Liliana Michelena produces CTP. You can see the archive on our legacy website and recent examples on our Instagram feed.

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Chatting the Pictures is a feature of Reading the Pictures. Despite our visually saturated culture, we remain among the few sources for analyzing news photography and media images. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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Harris’s Tightrope

In the video above, visual experts unpack a photograph that captures a defining moment of Campaign 2024: Kamala Harris descending Air Force Two at Delaware National Air Guard Base just 24 hours after Joe Biden exited the race. As Professor Karrin Vasby Anderson and Guardian photo editor Gail Fletcher reveal in their analysis, this tarmac scene bears layers of significance – from the military protocol that frames Harris's authority to the visual disruption of seeing a woman of color inhabit this traditionally male space.

The discussion—from our Reading the Pictures Salon, “Looking at Images from Campaign 2024,” hosted by the International Center for Photography (ICP) on October 22nd—illuminates how Harris embraces and challenges presidential photography conventions. However, the image raises a more profound question than whether America will elect its first woman Commander-in-Chief. It spotlights the persistent tightrope women in power must walk: navigating the narrow space between authority and authenticity in a society still grappling with gender bias.

Whether Harris succeeds or not, her candidacy forces us to examine how much latitude women in high office genuinely have to express themselves. Has her historic run widened the path for future female leaders or exposed the obstacles they still face? Examining eight photos, the Salon delves deeper into these themes, exploring how this single image encapsulates the intersection of race, gender, and power in American politics.

Photo: Erin Schaff/Pool/AFP via Getty Images. The Salon is produced by Liliana Michelena and moderated by Cara Finnegan.

The Binary

While Trump supporters, the “Maga Boyz,” present a masculine front with matching red shirts, raised fists, and militant posturing, Harris's supporters radiate a spontaneous joy, their expressions more celebratory than confrontational.

Depending on the poll, there is a 15 to 20% gap between men and women in their preference between Harris and Trump, a difference that expands to over 30% among the young. As Rachel Janfaza, who created this visual juxtaposition for The Free Press, observes: “Young women say they are fighting for their bodies. Young men say they are fighting for their dignity.”

Reproductive Rights: Reversing the Tide or More Fracture?

This photo by former White House photographer Lawrence Jackson predates the campaign but also brilliantly sets the stage. This picture captures Vice President Harris aboard Air Force Two, just 19 minutes after the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade. The composition is masterful – Harris's contemplative pose, the executive seal hovering between her and the news feed, the stark interior of the plane creating a space of suspended reaction, and the vibe of a woman exiting the cabin.

This photograph captures both the weight of the moment and the seismic electoral implications that would follow. As Harris watches the screen, she seems to grasp what polling would later confirm – that the Dobbs decision would fundamentally reshape American politics along gender lines.

What is most relevant and frighteningly undetermined right up to the moment is how instrumental a role women’s rights, reproductive freedom, and the abortion measures appearing on ten state ballots will play in the outcome of the election. And how much Trump’s ugly, persistent, and highly targeted effort to cultivate disaffected males and exploit a gender divide will successfully counter it.

Susie Wiles and the Irony of “Behind Every ‘Great Man’“

Campaign 2024’s great poke-in-the-eye is that it took a woman to tame a gang of angry men while steering a campaign built on masculine appeal and misogynistic rhetoric.

Susie Wiles, a 67-year-old grandmother, has emerged as the quiet architect behind Trump's strategy, demonstrating that ego suppression can also be a political superpower. (You’ve got to love how she stands slightly apart from these Trump supporters; her posture and expression convey as much authority as detachment.)

Wiles' leveraging the gender divide to generate more votes and new voters across racial and generational lines has proven shockingly effective. By tapping into existing undercurrents of male anxiety and resentment, the campaign has managed to energize a base that extends beyond Trump's typical demographic. One thing is how it affects the outcome of the election. Its impact on American society—especially if it’s the difference maker—is terrifying.

Harris for the People. All of Them.

Dina Litovsky's photograph from Trump's Madison Square Garden rally captures a complexity often missing from campaign coverage.

In this image, we see a crowd that, at first glance, might resemble the typical depiction of Trump supporters—predominantly white, male, and proudly displaying MAGA gear. However, Litovsky’s lens reveals more than just a monolithic group. A range of behaviors and expressions here transcend the usual caricature of Trump rallies. Some attendees appear animated and defiant, while others are more subdued, even reflective. The photo captures not just the spectacle but the humanity within it.

This sensibility mirrors Harris's approach to the campaign. While she forcefully critiqued Trump's leadership, ideology, and deplorable character, she carefully avoided demonizing his base. This delicate balance—condemning the leader while respecting his followers—mirrors Litovsky's ethical struggle as a photographer: how to document without demeaning and reveal without reducing.

Yet the crucial question remains: Has Harris's inclusive rhetoric and careful distinction between Trump and his supporters gone far enough to broaden her appeal, not to mention help bridge America's deep divides? Litovsky's essay also illuminates the challenges of this higher path, noting how even attempting to document Trump supporters with dignity drew criticism from both sides.

Culture of Violence

Where does one start in selecting images conveying the implicit and explicit violence stoked by this campaign?

This photo captured a fight between two vendors at a recent Trump rally. I must emphasize that the vendors had no affiliation with the campaign, and security ejected them from the premises. Even still, this scene attracted much attention in the press and even more on social, as the beatdown, one has to think, serves as an apt symbol for the vitriolic atmosphere inside.

Beyond that, there is this medley of sniper images by Mark Peterson from a late New Yorker campaign profile of J.D. Vance. It not only highlights the threat level of the Trump campaign but metaphorically at least illustrates how much a vituperous and gaslighting Trump has weaponized the political process.

Fast Food Fakery

At critical moments, Trump turned the visual media into a PR extension of his own campaign. He transformed his mug shot into an icon; he instinctively stage-directed an assassination attempt, earning a glorified news photo that he elevated into a call for arms. Then, he so thoroughly staged a fast-food photo op in the aptly named Feasterville, PA, that it deserved calling out.

Although I’m guessing you never saw it from this angle (note, those snipers again), it tells the larger story of how the photo press ate it up.

Climate Gamble

Kamala Harris took the calculated risk that appealing for fracking votes in Pennsylvania was worth overlooking the climate crisis, even as back-to-back global warming-charged hurricanes devastated voters in the crucial battlegrounds of North Carolina and Georgia. This campaign presented an essential opportunity, and scientists would say it was both the moral and literal imperative to rally the public around this existential and escalating threat.

Mario Tama’s photo shows a hurricane survivor in North Carolina standing up a soaked Old Glory. At the same time, the second image–like a sad knock, knock joke—juxtaposes roadside campaign posters with cardboard relief signs offering climate victims free food and water.

The October Surprise?

With all the Puerto Ricans living in the critical swing state of Pennsylvania, is it possible comedian Tony Hinchcliffe's reference to the American territory as an island of garbage at Trump’s Madison Square Garden event might lose him the election? In the photo, Jennese Torres, a northeast Philadelphia resident and one of the almost half a million Puerto Ricans living in Pennsylvania, raises an image of the Puerto Rican flag on her phone and shows what happens when you pull out all the stops.

Maybe the takeaway here is that Trump can get away with saying the most heinous things while others can’t. But then perhaps, just maybe, on the threshold of election day, enough people have gotten sick and tired of the political refuse.

I don’t know what is in store next Tuesday (or however long it will take to sort the election out), but what remains a very open question at this point is how much Harris versus Trump has set a precedent for respect and recovery or made the wounds that much more profound.

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Several public appearances, including a speech to a conservative group where Trump made unfounded claims about gender-affirming surgeries in schools, and an event at the New York Economic Club where he gave a left field response to a question about childcare affordability, primed this scrutiny.

In that same period, writers like Parker Molloy, Aaron Rupar, Margaret Sullivan, and others called out the media for summarizing and lending logic and context to Trump’s cryptic speeches and interviews. Rupar applied the term “sanewashing”— a term coined several years earlier in a different context—to illustrate how the media has been cleaning up Trump’s non-sense.

In our under-four-minute Chatting the Pictures video, we look deeply at a photo circulated by the New York Economic Club, taken during Trump’s speech on September 5th. In the video, we study the club member's visual engagement with Trump on the podium, especially involving board member Reshma Saujani. We also look at photos from the next day of Trump’s press conference at Trump Tower and a speech to the Fraternal Order of Police in Charlotte.

A More Visceral Approach than Just Transcripts and Funny Faces

Observers and critics mainly call out Trump's incoherence through video clips or extended quotes.

The primary way it is depicted photographically—especially in articles about his cognitive functioning—is through images that show him making awkward faces or instances where his mouth is obscured.

Unfortunately, those images are merely inferential. Focused on Trump alone, they do remind us of his word salad. Yet, they say nothing about the effect of his vague babble or how his blasphemy is received.

The Power of Capturing Audience Reactions

As I state in the video, the facial reactions of the Economic Club members are highly unusual. We tend to look away from odd behavior—until it becomes too blatant to ignore. The way it breaks through in these images reveals how strongly Trump elicits these cringes and grimaces and how overwhelmingly disturbing and alienating he is.

A more impactful approach to representing Trump's incoherence involves capturing the reactions of those around him. Images that showcase people responding with confusion, bewilderment, concern, or contempt provide indisputable feedback about the quality of his communication.

These candid moments of personal response starkly contrast with default images of Trump appearing presidential as well as mentally sound. By focusing on the reactions of others, media outlets can provide a more authentic representation of Trump's speech and cognitive abilities.

Facial Expressions and Body Language

Observers typically display a range of facial expressions and body language in response to rambling statements and bizarre claims. Confusion and bewilderment are common, characterized by squinted eyes or furrowed brows as people struggle to process the person’s train of thought.

These visual cues frequently occur in combination, with people's expressions rapidly shifting as they process what they are hearing. Take a moment to study these different frames of Trump and his task force during the Covid crisis.

Skepticism and disbelief are also prevalent, with raised eyebrows, widened eyes, and slight head shakes indicating doubt about the veracity of logic or claims. These expressions often convey a silent communication of perplexity or incredulity among those witnessing. Concern and dismay are evident through subtle grimaces or downturned mouths. People reflect their discomfort and unease through averted gazes or fidgeting, and display facial expressions such as tight lips, clenched jaws, or closed eyes.

These reactions are not exclusive to Trump critics or those impartial to him. It’s not that people don’t register his senselessness. It’s that his followers choose to excuse it.

Among Recent Examples

You might be wondering whether these visual reactions to Trump are limited given his tendency to handpick the most “mirroring” audiences. While the campaign trail does expose him to more impartial moderators and the general public, the key is that even in controlled settings—as you see in the tortured photos of Trump and his Covid team in the White House Briefing Room—his behavior is evident. Photographers, photo editors, and news consumers can capture and recognize these unguarded reactions just by being more attuned.

That is the case in these photos taken a week and a half ago by the New York Times’s Doug Mills during Trump’s visit to the Hurricane Helene Command Center in Georgia. Many factors can qualify the interaction between Trump and the team. People are tired, stressed, or just don’t have the bandwidth to stop and talk.

Still, as Tim Walz called out, Trump is weird, which makes the exchange of gazes between Trump and the two men in uniform weird. Especially when you consider the standard for this kind of photo-op.

Perhaps these crisis response professionals are ultimately aware of Kamala Harris's comment that “Donald Trump prefers to run on problems instead of fixing them.: They may have also observed Trump's appearance in Georgia during this massive disaster, where he blatantly lied about the government’s relief effort and engaged in politicking as usual.

Besides the inattention and agitation of the men off Trump’s shoulder—the former president’s eyes now in shadow from his re-doffed campaign hat, notice the icy expression of the officer in the black uniform as he gazes freely.

Breaking Through

To pierce the veil of normalization surrounding Trump's behavior, we must focus on the human impact. By capturing the reactions of those around him, photographers and photo editors can expose the alienation and dysfunction he inspires. This shift in perspective reveals the true cost of his rhetoric, empowering us to confront the complexities of his mesmerization and its far-reaching consequences. Only then can we break free from the sanitized narrative and confront the reality of Trump's influence.

RTP Events

Join me and Cara Finnegan on August 22nd for: "The Reading the Pictures Salon: Looking at Key Images from Campaign 2024." Enjoy vivid analysis from a stellar panel hosted by the International Center of Photography. If you’re in New York City, I hope you will join us in person. If not, I invite you to enjoy the livestream. More info and link for tickets or Zoom registration here.

Chatting the Pictures features writer and photo historian Cara Finnegan and RTP Publisher Michael Shaw and is produced by Liliana Michelena. These 3-4 minute videos closely read essential news photos, complemented by related imagery. You can see the archive on our legacy website and recent examples on our Instagram feed. Despite our visually saturated culture, we remain among the few sources for analyzing news photography and media images. This post is public, so feel free to share it.

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In the video, Cara and I dive into Todd Heisler’s profound photo of Amara Ajagu and Kamala Harris, which appeared in my part 1 DNC roundup newsletter. The four-minute podcast traces the connections between this photo and a famous civil rights image. We explore the photo through the lenses of gender, femininity, and intergenerational relationships beyond motherhood. Most fittingly, we tour its composition.

Stay tuned for part 2 of my DNC roundup, which will focus on courting the middle class, the Palestine presence, the Convention as infotainment, and Trump in a box.

Take care.

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Chatting the Pictures is a podcast for pictures that dives into powerful news photos in quick, engaging 3-4 minute episodes. Join photo historian Cara Finnegan and psychologist Michael Shaw as they unpack the visual stories shaping our world. Produced by Liliana Michelena, CTP offers a fresh take on photojournalism and visual culture.

Chatting the Pictures is a feature of Reading the Pictures. Despite our visually saturated culture, we remain among the few sources for analyzing news photography and media images. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Subscribe now

Cara and Michael highlight the enthusiastic reception and massive crowds welcoming the new Democratic ticket. They examine how Harris and Walz counter Trump's divisive politics with a message of inclusion and humor. Lastly, Cara draws out how the Harris t-shirt evokes her status as a role model, her HBCU connections, and the centrality of the Black electorate in the campaign.

Chatting the Pictures is a podcast for pictures that dives into powerful news photos in quick, engaging 3-4 minute episodes. Join photo historian Cara Finnegan and psychologist Michael Shaw as they unpack the visual stories shaping our world. Produced by Liliana Michelena, CTP offers a fresh take on photojournalism and visual culture.

You can see the full archive on our legacy website and recent editions on our Instagram feed.

Share

Chatting the Pictures is a feature of Reading the Pictures. Despite our visually saturated culture, we remain among the few sources for analyzing news photography and media images. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Subscribe now