Politico deletes ‘anti-Semitic’ cartoon depicting blood-soaked Trump and Netanyahu after slew of criticism

Politico deleted an anti-Semitic cartoon showing President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu covered in blood after intense criticism from readers.

The sketch, drawn by cartoonist Sean Delonas, showed world leaders wearing bloody Jewish prayer shawls and yarmulkes sitting in a boat that looked like it was about to tumble down a waterfall.

They are joined by Republican Senators Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham, who is depicted holding a vial of blood.

Netanyahu is shown eating at a blood-covered table, surrounded by bags full of money, with an overly large nose much like caricatures of Jews depicted in Nazi Holocaust propaganda.

Trump joins him, trying to look obese, wearing orange face makeup and strumming a lute-like instrument.

The word Amalek is written in the background of the cartoon, a direct reference to the archenemy of ancient Israel depicted in the Hebrew Bible.

The sketch appears to be a recreation of Hieronymus Bosch’s painting The Ship of Fools, written in the late 1490s.

In his commentary, Delonas called the boat ‘The Ship of the Neocons’, a reference to the neo-conservatism or neo-con movement of the 1970s.

The sketch, drawn by cartoonist Sean Delonas, depicted Netanyahu with an oversized nose (taken at the site where an Iranian ballistic missile hit on March 22) eating at a blood-covered table surrounded by bags of money.

The neoconservative movement supported the strong military power of the United States and encouraged an aggressive, interventionist foreign policy approach aimed at spreading democracy.

Politico was met with outrage online after including Delonas’ sketch in its website’s Cartoon Carousel on Friday. A collection of the week’s ‘best’ political cartoons are displayed on the carousel.

‘Politico is garbage. Sean Delonas should be fired and blacklisted, one critic wrote in response to the “vile” cartoon about X.

Another echoed: ‘One of the worst and most anti-Semitic caricatures I have ever seen in a leading political publication in my entire life.

‘Shame on cartoonist Sean Delonas. It is no coincidence that this was published on the eve of Passover. ‘Shame on Politico.’

“Really disturbing but not surprising from Politico’s perspective; this is extreme propaganda and it’s only getting worse,” a third person added.

Former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer even commented on the draft, calling it “disgusting.”

Politico has since removed the drawing from its website and replaced it with a note from the editor.

“We removed a cartoon by independent cartoonist Sean Delonas from this week’s gallery after considering reader comments that it did not meet our standards,” the note said.

Sean Delonas appeared in his Politco cartoon to have recreated Hieronymus Bosch’s late 1490s painting The Ship of Fools, shown above.

President Donald Trump points his finger at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as they shake hands at a news conference at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, on December 29, 2025

‘Sharp arguments and provocative images are within the limits in political cartoons.

‘Images that could reasonably be interpreted as relying on ethnic stereotypes or employing tropes historically embroiled in hateful ways are not.’

The statement also stated that the cartoon summary was ‘intended as a representation of a wide range of views, not as an endorsement of the views of any particular cartoon or cartoonist’.

Politico published the cartoon amid the Iran war, which began last month with the United States and Israel attacking Iran, triggering Iranian attacks on Israel and neighboring Gulf Arab states.

Israel invaded Lebanon, also targeting the Iran-backed terrorist organization Hezbollah.

Delonas, one post on his blogresponded to criticism. He wrote: ‘Neocons have been criticizing me and my fellow journalists lately for our anti-war stance.’

He responded to the claims that Netanyahu had an ‘exaggerated’ nose in the sketch, noting that ‘all the figures have exaggerated features — it’s a cartoon.’

‘In the cartoon, I drew more exaggerated noses for Senator Ted Cruz and the GOP elephants than Bibi. Is this also anti-Semitism?’ he asked.

Addressing the use of the word Amalek, Delonas said: “A recent comment that Benjamin Netanyahu made about Iran was: “Remember what Amalek did to you.” We remember and we act.” Am I not allowed to quote Bibi’s religious references? I used “Amalek” because Bibi used it.’

The Daily Mail has reached out to Politico, the White House and representatives for Cruz and Graham for comment.

Smoke rises after Iran’s missile attack on Southern Israel on Sunday, March 29, 2026

Netanyahu announced on Sunday that Israel would expand its occupation of Southern Lebanon.

Israel will expand its ‘existing security strip’ in Lebanon as Israeli forces continue to target the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group, the spokesman said.

“We are determined to fundamentally change the situation in the north,” he said during a visit to northern Israel, adding: “Hezbollah still has the capacity to launch rockets at us.” There were almost no details.

In Lebanon, officials say more than 1,100 people have been killed in clashes since the start of the Iran war.

Trump said last week that Iran wanted a deal to end the nearly four-week war, but Tehran’s top diplomat refused to hold any talks with Washington.

Trump, whose daily statements range wildly from threats to compromise, said talks to end the war with Iran were ongoing but that officials in Tehran were covering up those talks out of fear.

“Meanwhile, they’re negotiating and they want to make a deal so badly,” Trump said at a dinner for Republican members of Congress.

‘But they are afraid to say it because they think they will be killed by their own men,’ he said. ‘They are also afraid of being killed by us.’

Tehran’s top diplomat harshly criticized Trump’s comments, saying the country had no intention of negotiating.

“We want the war to end, of course, on our terms and in a way that will not be repeated here again,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state television.