'I just draw what I see': Court sketch artist defends youthful Trump image amid mockery
With cameras banned during Donald Trump appeared in court on Tuesday, it was left to sketch artists to capture the moment. The flatteringly young Trump that was drawn opened the artist to questions..
"That courtroom sketch artist was feeling very generous," The Lincoln Project commented.
SnarkTank did a side-by-side comparison of the sketch and a photo of Trump in almost the exact position. "I submit to you my proof that the courtroom sketch artist yesterday was Judge Aileen Cannon," the Twitter user commented.
\u201cI submit to you my proof that the courtroom sketch artist yesterday was Judge Aileen Cannon.\u201d— SnarkTank (@SnarkTank) 1686774652
“It’s rare I get any kind of feedback,” the artist, William Hennessy Jr., told the Boston Globe in an interview.
Hennessy was one of three artists in the courtroom to draw the arraignment in Miami. His image was the only one getting the biggest criticisms. Some claimed that was he created looked more like Trump's youngest son than it did of the former president.
One Twitter user described it as “going off of a photo of Trump from 40 years ago.” There are disagreements about it online, but only in so far as the number of years it took off of the elderly defendant.
Former prosecutor Joyce White Vance said it was like 30 years ago.
“I don’t editorialize,” Hennessy maintained. “I just draw what I see.”
See some of the other side-by-side comparisons below or at the link here.
\u201cFire the sketch artist. Wow, trump must have some super duper serum cream that took fifty years off his looks, lol.\u201d— S (@S) 1686705790
\u201cwas the court sketch artist hired by trump?\u201d— \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83d\udfe7\ud83c\udf3bBrenda\ud83c\udf3b\ud83d\udfe7\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (@\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83d\udfe7\ud83c\udf3bBrenda\ud83c\udf3b\ud83d\udfe7\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08) 1686694666
\u201cTbh it\u2019s not that it\u2019s wildly inaccurate, it just looks like the sketch artist Bill Hennessy was going off of a photo of Trump from 40 years ago\u201d— Dave Jorgenson \ud83c\udf3b (@Dave Jorgenson \ud83c\udf3b) 1686742822
\u201cAccurate courtroom sketch artist v Courtroom Cartoonist\nJane Rosenberg/Reuters v Bill Hennessy/PBS News Hour.\u201d— Kimberly Costello\u2618 (@Kimberly Costello\u2618) 1686766145
\u201c@MacFarlaneNews Something tells me this sketch artist is a trump fan.\nContrast and compare:\u201d— Scott MacFarlane (@Scott MacFarlane) 1686695409