Ben Garrison

Ben Garrison
Born1957 (age 66–67)
EducationAngelo State University (BA)
OccupationPolitical cartoonist
Years active1978–present
SpouseTina Norton
Children1
WebsiteGrrrGraphics.com

Benjamin R. Garrison (born 1957) is an American alt-right[1][2][3][4][5] political cartoonist[6] and artist. Several of Garrison's cartoons have been controversial. Various critics in the media have called him sexist,[7] racist,[7] anti-feminist,[8] xenophobic,[7] anti-government,[9] and conspiratorial.[9] Garrison has also been accused of antisemitism by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).[9] His cartoons often lionize American conservative figures and politicians, such as former President Donald Trump and Rand Paul and often express favorable views of Trumpism and its political positions, and demonize liberal, moderate, and Never Trump movement figures such as President Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton.[10][6][11] Some alt-right activists and Internet trolls have edited Garrison's comics to incorporate further offensive content, including the antisemitic "Happy Merchant" caricature.[7][12]

In a 2015 interview with Breitbart News, he said he did not support any presidential candidate in the 2016 United States presidential election, but said he admired Trump for "shaking up the neocon-controlled Republican Party."[13] Garrison has described himself as a libertarian.[7]

  1. ^ Rogers, Katie (July 14, 2020). "Aide Posts Cartoon Mocking Fauci as White House Denies Undermining Him". The New York Times. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  2. ^ Rogers, Katie (July 14, 2020). "Aide Posts Cartoon Mocking Fauci as White House Denies Undermining Him". The New York Times. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  3. ^ De La Garza, Alejandro (July 7, 2019). "President Trump Invited a Cartoonist Known for 'Anti-Semitic' Images to a White House Social Media Summit". Time. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  4. ^ Egger, Andrew (July 14, 2020). "The Divergent Fortunes of Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx". thedispatch.com. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  5. ^ American Madness: The Story of the Phantom Patriot and How Conspiracy Theories Hijacked American Consciousness Archived October 28, 2022, at the Wayback Machine. Tea Krulos, Feral House, 2020
  6. ^ a b Lanier, Amanda (June 25, 2016). "Lakeside cartoonist a player on the political world stage". Daily Inter Lake. Archived from the original on March 8, 2017. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  7. ^ a b c d e Grey Ellis, Emma (June 19, 2017). "The Alt-Right Found Its Favorite Cartoonist—and Almost Ruined His Life". Wired. Archived from the original on July 2, 2018. Retrieved July 3, 2018. He's been called racist, sexist, xenophobic, and anti-Semitic.
  8. ^ Wilson, Jason (March 26, 2018). "How rightwingers have attacked Parkland students with lies, hoaxes and smears". The Guardian. Archived from the original on February 17, 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2019. A political cartoon is drawing the ire of Twitter users for the antifeminist values that seem to have inspired it.
  9. ^ a b c "Anti-Semitism Used in Attack Against National Security Adviser H. R. McMaster". Anti-Defamation League. August 3, 2017. Archived from the original on May 31, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2018. This site prominently features an anti-Semitic cartoon by Ben Garrison, an artist known for cartoons with right-wing, anti-government and conspiratorial themes
  10. ^ Mathis-Lilley, Ben (July 2, 2018). "Ron Paul Becomes Latest Republican to Post Literal Nazi Content". Slate. Archived from the original on February 16, 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  11. ^ Edroso, Roy (November 28, 2016). "A Return to Normalization: Rightbloggers Help Numb the Nation to Trump". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on March 8, 2017. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  12. ^ Blumenstein, David (June 2, 2015). "The Internet's Most Trolled Cartoonist". The Nib. Archived from the original on July 5, 2015. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  13. ^ Provenzano, Brianna (May 14, 2016). "The Internet Is Freaking Out About This Antifeminist Political Cartoon". Mic. Archived from the original on January 30, 2017. Retrieved January 30, 2017.