Cartoonists say money and greed are root of all of Trump's evil, 2016 election fraud

Cartoonist John Cole of The Times Tribune in Scranton, Pa., exploring the latest evidence that Donald J. Trump was a candidate who personally directed an illegal scheme to manipulate the 2016 presidential election, and whose advisors had more contact with Russia than he acknowledges.

Cartoonist Steve Sack of The Minneapolis Star-Tribune illustrates a report that Trump promised a $50 million penthouse to Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of a Trump Tower deal in Moscow. He has Trump saying, "No pets," except me.

The red Christmas trees in the White House take on new meaning in this cartoon from Christopher Weyant of The Boston Globe. "I chose the [hammer-and-sickle] ornaments," Trump says

The murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi exposed Trump's cold-blooded view of U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia, as illustrated by cartoonist Steve Sack. The president exaggerated wildly about the amount of arms sales to the oil-rich kingdom.

The New York stock exchange tanked last week amid trade jitters with China, and Trump's tweets didn't help, as shown in this cartoon by Rick McKee of The Augusta Chronicle in Georgia. 

Cartoonist Randy Bish of The Pittsburgh Tribune Review exploring Trump's appearance at the funeral for George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States. All of these cartoons and many others from around the world can be found at The Cagle Post.

-- VICTOR E. SASSON

Trump lies about everything under sun, yet the news media still love to quote him

President Trump pushed back against mounting evidence that Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman had ordered the murder of critic Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi journalist who was writing for The Washington Post. Here, Cartoonist Kevin Siers of The Charlotte Observer and PoliticalCartoons.com shows Trump holding a bone saw.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

HACKENSACK, N.J. --  Whether at a combative press conference or in a quick interview before he boards his helicopter, President Trump can't help but lying.

Trump was so used to making false claims as a New York developer that he apparently saw no reason to start telling the truth during the 2016 presidential campaign or after he was sworn in as president on Jan. 20, 2017.

And now, even though reporters who cover the White House and accompany him on Air Force One know he is lying, they still quote him and his tweets extensively, and the electronic media send those infuriating sound bites sailing around the globe. 

The print media, notably The Washington Post and The New York Times, do a far better job than the electronic media in pushing back against the lies, but by the time their papers hit the doorstep, the damage has already been done, and Trump's supporters are howling with delight.

All of this might change on Jan. 3, when the Democratic majority and other House members are sworn in, and start investigating everything from Russian interference in our elections to Trump's finances to his ties to Saudi Arabia and other autocratic regimes.

Then, the president who loves to go on the offensive and insult world leaders, judges and just about everyone else will finally find himself on the defensive in the last act of his chaotic presidency.

Cartoonist Steve Sack of the Minneapolis Star Tribune shows Trump treating the people of California as cavalierly as he did residents of Puerto Rico, where he tossed rolls of paper towels to hurricane survivors. He blamed the California wildfires on poor forest management -- a complete and total falsehood.

Cartoonist Bill Day of Cagle.com returned to a familiar Trump claim for Thanksgiving: "No collusion!"