Content: collage with description by Addison Weed
KEY: Description that accompanies the collage
What we do have is the lowest crime numbers in decades… and the strongest National Security we have ever had (2). The soon to be out of business New York Times and the Fake News Media won issue a word against (3) the Radical left scum that is doing everything possible to destroy our country (2). They’ve got to stop. I strongly condemn all that choose violence. We should not mob people in public space or destroy public property (9), I don’t want these violent repeat offenders in our country (1). The Radical Left Democrats continue their reckless obstruction (7)… of the American people, and I encourage all countries to take a stance in the defence of their own people (4). In these times, we have to unify, we have to come together and send one very clear, strong, unmistakable message that acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the United States of America (9). [Democrats] have allowed this unrest and violence to continue and the president has had to step in (6), the safety of the American people is my highest and absolute priority (9). Polls resoundingly confirm President Donald J. Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration is massively popular with the American people, from mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens to empowering ICE as they enforce our nation’s laws (7). A lot of people are saying maybe we’d like a dictator (8).
References:
1) Ufodike, Ako. “Lawlessness and disorder: The hypocrisy of Donald Trump’s exile threats after the Jan. 6 pardons.” The Conversation, Feb. 2025, https://doi.org/10.64628/aam.df37fsfxu.
This article discusses the hypocrisy of Trump’s decision to pardon those convicted after the January 6th insurrection. The quote from Trump is, “I don’t want these violent repeat offenders in our country any more than I want illegal aliens from other countries who misbehave,” referring to a proposed plan to punish all American repeat offenders with exile, despite the fact that he himself is a convicted felon.
2) Trump, Donald J. “realDonaldTrump.” X, 24 Dec. 2025, x.com/realDonaldTrump/status/2004012442427277591.
Highlighted sections of the restructured text are taken from this tweet posted by Trump in December: “Merry Christmas to all, including the Radical Left Scum that is doing everything possible to destroy our Country, but are failing badly. We no longer have Open Borders, Men in Women’s Sports, Transgender for Everyone, or Weak Law Enforcement. What we do have is a Record Stock Market and 401K’s, Lowest Crime numbers in decades, No Inflation…Tariffs have given us Trillions of Dollars in Growth and Prosperity, and the strongest National Security we have ever had. We are respected again, perhaps like never before. God Bless America!!! President DJT”
3) Trump, Donald J. “realDonaldTrump.” X, 28 Nov. 2025, x.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1994438728237064270.
Short section of a recent tweet on the G20 in South Africa that includes strong language encouraging anti-media sentiment, “…To put it more bluntly, they are killing white people, and randomly allowing their farms to be taken from them. Perhaps, worst of all, the soon to be out of business New York Times and the Fake News Media won’t issue a word against this genocide. That’s why all the Liars and Pretenders of the Radical Left Media are going out of business!…”
4) “United States of America.” General Debate, 23 Sept. 2025, gadebate.un.org/en/80/united-states-america.
Short quote pulled from the 2025 General Debate transcript summary from the UN, where Trump declares, “America belongs to the American people, and I encourage all countries to take a stance in the defence of their own people.” This statement directly opposes the actions encouraged and being carried out by Trump’s Administration, specifically regarding the movements of ICE against legal citizens and the violent crackdown on peaceful protests and constitutional rights.
5) The Department of Justice. “TheJusticeDept.” X, 20 Jan. 2026, x.com/TheJusticeDept/status/2013781657057161584.
This statement was taken from a twitter post from the official Department of Justice account, celebrating one year of POTUS and ending with the declaration that, “America is safer today thanks to President Donald J. Trump.” Despite the ICE raids, people disappearing from the streets and within detention facilities, unjust escalations of violence from ICE and federal officials making the United States a very terrifying place to live in under this authoritarian administration.
6) “Karoline Leavitt reacts to reporter’s question about parade protests.” Youtube, www.youtube.com/shorts/icDCgk3dFgU.
I was interested in this recording of Leavitt because of the unprofessionalism in her responses to reporters and her confidence in delivering bias statements, including but not limited to, “[President Trump] does not support violence of any kind,” “[Trump] supports the right of Americans to make their voices heard,” and “[democrats] have allowed this unrest and violence to continue and the president has had to step in,” in response to a question on Trump threatening to meet protesters of his Military parade with force.
7) The White House. “Americans Overwhelmingly Support Deporting Criminal Illegals, Local Cooperation With ICE.” The White House, 2 Feb. 2026, www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2026/02/americans-overwhelmingly-support-deporting-criminal-illegals-local-cooperation-with-ice.
The opening paragraph of this article, “As Radical Left Democrats continue their reckless obstruction, two new polls resoundingly confirm President Donald J. Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration is massively popular with the American people. From mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens to empowering ICE as they enforce our nation’s laws, Americans are rallying behind President Trump’s agenda — and Democrats’ extremism couldn’t be more out of touch.”
8) TIME. “‘Maybe We Like a Dictator’: Trump Suggests Many Americans Would Prefer Autocracy.” YouTube, 26 Aug. 2025, www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjJRXgrTg1I.
This quote taken directly from Trump speaks for itself. America does not want a dictator. America does not believe in kings, this can be seen by the No-Kings protests and supported by the amount of movements nationwide trying to combat the chaos that is the US political climate.
9) Restuccia, Andrew, and Gabby Orr. “Trump decries ‘political violence’ after years of stoking it.” Politico, 25 Oct. 2015, www.politico.com/story/2018/10/24/trump-political-violence-packages-936274.
Trump: “We should not mob people in public space or destroy public property…I just want to tell you that in these times, we have to unify, we have to come together and send one very clear, strong, unmistakable message that acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the United States of America…The media also has a responsibility to set a civil tone and to stop the endless hostility and constant negative and oftentimes false attacks and stories, they’ve got to stop… The safety of the American people is my highest and absolute priority.”
First lady Melania Trump: “I strongly condemn all that choose violence,”
Reflection Statement
My aim with this project was to create something that provided an outlet to some of the things that are weighing on me in our current political and social climate. There were so many possibilities for projects that I could have chosen but the idea that was brought up in class about using an original source to say something completely different is what inspired me to center my project around anti-ICE (as well as what I will generalize into anti-trump administration) protests that are currently happening. I aimed to create a project that could represent how overwhelming and chaotic it feels to perform day-to-day activities in an environment that promotes misinformation and influential media. As well as where figures that are supposed to be credible, blatantly misusing their power to promote political agendas often without factual basis and purposefully phrased to insight anger and division.
I used Canva to put together my collage, which was also inspired by social media. On Instagram, I’m recommend a lot of political content on current issues; conditions in States such as Minnesota in the battle against the ICE surge, as well as just a lot of media that points out the inconsistencies between things that were promised verses what the Trump Administration is trying to accomplish while people’s attention is divided. I knew from the beginning in order to really get my point across, all the sources should be from Government officials, specifically President Trump (also includes quotes from Karoline Leavitt and Melania Trump). This was partially because it is more impactful to see the ways in which our president is lying to manipulate the public as an elected official, and have it contrasted with physical manifestations of people’s displeasure. I ended up arranging the collage and the description separately because I had originally thought of just breaking up the quotes around the piece, but found that this made the intention of contrasting reality with Trump’s hypocrisy less obvious. By re-arranging his words to fit the Trump administration’s public narrative which juxtaposed the photographic evidence shown in collage I was trying to emphasize the way our current reality looks completely opposite of a safe, prosperous, America. And the absurdity of these claims being made by the perpetrator of so much violence, twisting the original source through the image collage to reveal the truth behind the facade.
Further Thoughts on References
6) Highlighting the juxtaposition I was trying to capture: these elements are contradictory to each other––Trump doesn’t support violence, supports free speech and the right to protest but also responds to protestors by threatening to stop them forcefully and by heightening tensions and breeding opportunities for violence. It is also needlessly and incorrecting blaming democrats for the escalation of violence at these protests, despite the fact that most protests begin peacefully while it is ICE agents who are using unnecessary force and unprovoked violence in response to people exercising their rights.
7) Frighteningly, a multitude of articles on this website refer to protestors of illegal ICE activities and unjust detention of people, including non-criminal immigrants, and even US-citizens (which was not what was promised by the administration), as the “Radical left agenda” and aim to divide people further and incite fear and conformity. I would also argue that this information is grossly contrasted by the size/popularity of the No Kings, and anti-ICE protests/movements happening nationwide. One of the polls mentioned says in the description on the Government’s website, “democrats live in an alternate world and completely disagree,” This misinformation perpetuates the ignorance of MAGA supporters with poor media literacy, who cannot recognize that this source is biased.
8) Specifically for my collage, this quote was important for me to include as the imagery is intended to be full of different forms of protest against the Trump administration’s policies and actions (though it focuses specifically on ICE). There are also references to No-Kings, Elon Musk and the oligarchy, methods of protests, and the sheer evidence staring us in the face that Americans are not happy, they want change, and many of them certainly don’t want a dictator.