Right-wing propaganda artist is being promoted as resistance liberal hero on social media.
People are rallying for the artist saying that the Trump admin should pay the artist for his work; but that would just mean taxpayer money would be paying for racist paintings. How is that a win?
The problem started because The New Republic reported on this guy complaining about his painting being used without permission or pay, and failed to mention anything about this artist. The artist, being a commissioned propagandist creating white evangelical paintings specifically for the org called Focus On The Family, which is a far right white evangelical Christian lobbying group. In fact, the headline in The New Republic was incredibly misleading: "Artist Slams DHS for Stealing His Artwork for Their Racist Propaganda" and in fact I could find no evidence that the artist actually objected to the use being racist, just that he wasn't asked, and wasn't paid. He made it for an org that was using it for racist propaganda. That org traffics in white supremacist imagery. Frankly it's reasonable to think that DHS assumed the artist would be honoured to have his racist propaganda painting used for the cause. Ron Filipkowski also posted about the story, failing to point out the artist's existing right-wing connections.
In the initial postings about this story, it was clear that nobody bothered to look into his past, and even some people who did failed to make the right-wing connection. People's argument asserted has been that he should be paid for his work. As an artist myself, in theory, I would agree with this as a concept. But it's inescapable if you say you think the US Department of Homeland Security should be paying commissions to an artist for white supremacist propaganda or racist art to be used as fascist propaganda, you can't get away from the fact that then you're saying you want taxpayer money to pay for racist art and fascist propaganda. It just seems a very strange hill to take a stand on: defending and promoting an artist who does commissioned white supremacist art. It just doesn’t seem resisty to me at all!
When I informed some people about this on Bluesky, many people thanked me for alerting them to this reality about the artist, but many other people blocked me. For example, one guy was apparently convinced this guy was standing up against genocidal ideology. When I informed him that this artist in fact shares that ideology and makes the art for the purpose of promoting this ideology, that guy blocked me. Another person said she appreciated the artist, and hoped that this artist could "get through to" the Trump administration because he's "speaking out" against Trump. Get through on what? And how is he speaking out against Trump? He’s just complaining that a government agency didn’t pay him. That's a legitimate complaint legally, sure, but if he wants to get on the Trump train government money gravy train, how is this guy resisting Trump? Even if they don't pay him willingly, what's he going to do? He might sue the federal government and get taxpayer money that way. How is that something we want?
I fully recognize the right of artists, musicians, bands, or anyone using the existing copyright laws to protect their work from unauthorized use by the Trump administration, Donald Trump himself, the government, or whoever. That's their legal right. But this isn’t about whether I think generally artists should be paid for their work. In this case, no, I don't want the people's money being paid to right-wingers doing racist art to be used by a government agency doing fascist propaganda! It’s fine to say you care about artists being paid, but do you have to expend your time, energy, and demand taxpayer money be spent on racism? Is that really helping artists?
Do we really have to sacrifice ourselves on the altar of Both-Sidesing? No, you do not have to hand it to them.
And also generally, I just don't see how copyright lawsuits have become a popular resistance battle cry issue for anti-fascist liberals to rally around. It seems a strange fandom that this even gets traction when one considers everything else going on.
And I can't help but notice that this topic was really being promoted by A LOT of accounts on Bluesky social media that look like bots. But it also does seem like real people are hell bent and determined to make that right-winger into a resistance liberal hero. Maybe someone should’ve asked him some more specific questions first before venerating him at least.
The whole story is just so messed up. And this is just one particularly weird and gross example of this type of thing that goes on these days. It’s all like red meat thrown to bot alligators on social media, and people desperate to believe, or convince us, that we can both-sides our way out of this by allying with the literal opposition. It’s all part of the same confusion that permeates the media landscape and makes it difficult for decency and actual fairness to gain traction and coalesce into an actual opposition to authoritarianism.
A screenshot of a ridiculous framing of the issue by someone trying to bully me calling me “MAGA” because I don’t think championing the cause of a right-wing artist is a good use of shits to give. Chloe post on bsky.social July 17, 2025 at 1:07 PM I'm concerned that people are trying to make a white supremacist propagandist into some kind of resistance hero. No, I don't want my tax money going to pay for white supremacist propaganda. 13h the artist did that painting for the org Focus on the Family which does white supremacist propaganda so who cares Gary Fuller garycurmudgeon.bsky.social So you're saying legal copyright protections only apply when you agree with the party involved? How very MAGA of you. July 17, 2025 at 8:45 AM
Seriously people?