A newspaper has been slammed over its controversial cartoon depicting victims of the devastating Texas floods as Donald Trump supporters.
At least 120 people have been confirmed dead after the Guadalupe River in Central Texas burst its banks and swept through the area early Saturday morning.
Officials say about 36 children were among the fatalities in Kerr County, with floods destroying an all-girls Christian summer camp, Camp Mystic.
Highlights
- The Buffalo News faced backlash for a cartoon showing Texas flood victims as drowning MAGA supporters, sparking outrage and calls for an apology.
- At least 120 people have died in the Texas floods, including 36 children at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp destroyed by the waters.
- Pulitzer-winning cartoonist Adam Zyglis, who created the cartoon, has a history of politically charged illustrations targeting Trump and his supporters.
The Buffalo News published a cartoon depicting Texas flood victims as MAGA Republicans
Image credits: Desiree Rios for The Washington Post via Getty Images
While there has been an outpouring of grief and support from around the U.S., The Buffalo News sparked uproar for publishing a cartoon by artist Adam Zyglis.
The drawing depicts homes and cars being dragged away in flood water and is titled ‘Swept Away.’
A man wearing a MAGA hat is seen to be drowning, with just his arms and the top of his head managing to stay above water.
Image credits: The Buffalo News
In the illustration, he is holding a sign that reads “help,” but a speech bubble above him says: “Gov’t is the problem. Not the solution.”
The cartoon has since been slammed as “vile” and “shameful,” with calls for an apology to be made to the grieving families.
“TheBuffaloNews ran a cartoon mocking Texas families who lost loved ones in a tragedy, just because they might’ve voted Republican,” Michael Kracker, chairman of the Erie County Republican Committee, said.
“Twisted, vile, and shameful. They owe those families an apology and should pull this filth immediately.”
Image credits: @adamzyglis
Congresswoman Elise Stefanik also described it as “filth” in a post on X.
“This is absolute, heartless filth from the decrepit @TheBuffaloNews,” she wrote. “Thank you to @makracker and @SenatorOrtt for calling this failing paper out about this disgrace.”
Social media users were also among those to strongly criticize the publication of the cartoon.
“Our nation has always had political parties, but historically we put partisan politics aside during times of major tragedy or crisis,” one wrote. “Unfortunately, the Buffalo News did the opposite with this depraved partisan cartoon.”
Artist Adam Zyglis has been criticized for the cartoon
“Well, Buffalo News you’re getting all sorts of attention on social media, but probably not the kind you wanted,” another added. “What a disgusting cartoon to publish. We see who you are.”
The illustration has not been removed from The Buffalo News, and neither Zyglis, a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist, nor the publication has commented on the uproar.
In a post on Instagram, Zyglis shared the cartoon with the caption: “Tomorrow’s lines… that argument’s gone in a flash.”
Some of Zyglis’ other cartoons depict the ongoing ICE raids across the country, with one showing agents wearing MAGA hats ready to handcuff a crying baby.
Another shows January 6 Capitol rioters being branded as peaceful protestors, while those demonstrating against immigration raids are branded as violent insurrectionists.
A recent one also focused on MAHA—Trump’s slogan for Make America Healthy Again—and shows “science” in the trash while “uncapped emissions” from factories rise above a father and son.
Zyglis also depicted Trump as a snake biting off the flame held by the Statue of Liberty in a cartoon titled ‘2025: The Year Of The Snake.’
It comes as a massive search and rescue operation remains underway in Kerr County, with 173 people still missing—some of them young children.
The catastrophic flooding was not expected when it surged around 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 5.
Although the National Weather Service issued alerts 12 hours in advance and flash flood warnings three hours before the disaster, many residents were asleep and didn’t wake up until it was too late.
Kerr County also did not have a flash flood warning system, which has drawn sharp criticism from residents and emergency officials as it left many without critical, real-time alerts that could have saved lives.