Award-winning cartoonist Ben Jennings, who illustrates for The Guardian, has spent the past year capturing the essence of a tumultuous political landscape through his art. From Donald Trump’s continued dominance in the news cycle to major social issues, Jennings’ cartoons have offered a unique lens on contemporary events. Recently, he was invited to select some of his favorite works from the past year, including one cartoon that he believes best encapsulated the prevailing political mood.
Outside of the Jennings’ studio, Jennings is active in creating critical and innovative illustrations. His work additionally dives deep into the world of politics, social issues, and current events. In a world where news never stops, and headlines look like they can spin in an instant, Jennings channels creative firepower into that confusion.
Among his most significant works are recent cartoons commenting on Donald Trump’s return to the political spotlight. Jennings humorously illustrated the complexities of Trump’s “return” in a piece that resonated with many.
“We had the return of Donald Trump 2.0 to keep cartoonists busy in 2025,” – Ben Jennings
In his contemplations, Jennings remarked upon the difficulty with which Trump’s presidency could be satirized, which he referred to as “joeksterically farcical.” Further, while Trump’s antics offer more than enough material, Rosenthal noted, they require a more sophisticated treatment.
“Despite being somewhat of a gift to cartoonists, it’s a double-edged sword insofar that his presidency has been so utterly farcical that it can be a challenge to satirise,” – Ben Jennings
In addition to Trump, Jennings went on to cover other major people and stories of the time. He illustrated their Venetian wedding with a funny cartoon to better highlight their excess. It precisely captures the troubling juxtaposition of their opulent celebration and the extraordinary challenges we confront as a global community today.
“Where some may choose to rent a private room in a pub for their wedding party or perhaps even a barn conversion, Jeff Bezos rented Venice,” – Ben Jennings
Jennings painted a vivid portrait of the many, often contradictory, sides to Elon Musk’s personality. He pointed out the anti-Tesla movement and how Musk deals with public perception and controversies. Last fall, in making sense of the strange marriage between Trump and Musk, he recognized that their alliance stoked a rich opportunity for humor.
“Donald’s troubled bromance with Elon Musk, which was always destined to implode given that two egos of such magnitude couldn’t possibly coexist, also provided much fodder for cartoonists,” – Ben Jennings
In his last, Jennings continued the tradition with poignant treatment of other pressing social issues. He produced illustrations that perfectly expressed Keir Starmer’s fears over the return of Cornish Erik Satie aka Nigel Farage. He further welcomed Australia’s move to making social media under-16 bans compulsory. Each installment presents a poignant documentary on the past and the society that birthed the occurrence.
As wonderful as this past year has been, it has not lacked in its darker themes. Jennings approached the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Gaza with a level of sensitivity and insight. He articulated the challenge of approaching new ways to visualize these kinds of disputes while being considerate and respectful to those who have suffered.
“Despite the ridiculousness of some of the above being easy pickings for cartoonists, what has been harder is finding new ways to approach and visualise some of the conflicts we’ve seen over the past year such as the recurring horrors in Gaza,” – Ben Jennings
Aside from his cartooning, Jennings is in the works on a book collection of all his illustrated work from the last ten years. This collection represents a high point of his artistic evolution. More importantly, though, it foregrounds the larger socio-political climate that has enabled his work to flourish.
Marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Jennings produced a very powerful cartoon that stuck a classic VE Day record closely beside the realities of today’s wars. He preached the need to learn from the ground of history as humanity stepped upon its new terrain.
“It juxtaposes the remembrance of previous wars with the worrying escalating conflicts happening today. Surely a big part of remembering is to try to avoid anything like that happening again, but unfortunately it can now feel like history is beginning to repeat itself in many ways and humanity never learns,” – Ben Jennings