The issue of Jacobin magazine covering the inauguration features a mock icon, complete with a halo around Biden's head, seraphim-like Clintons and angelic killer drones in the sky. Some don't seem to realize it is satire.
The cover for the winter edition of Jacobin, which was previewed hours after Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th US president, mercilessly mocks the US' habit of treating its politicians like celebrities. Taking the next logical step, it reimagines the new president as a messiah, borrowing imagery from traditional Christian iconography.
Biden's larger-than-life, bare-chested figure is shown surrounded by 'holy spirits' of Twitter and 'saints'. The latter include kneeling Democrat leaders in the US Congress, Dr. Anthony Fauci, fawning journalists and manager-class devotees eagerly consuming the 'holy scripture' from what is probably the latest Barack Obama memoir. The former president himself is shown as a six-winged seraphim bracketed by the likewise angelic Hillary and Bill Clinton, with the trio gazing benignly from the heavens. A crowd of mask-wearing suburban laymen on Earth celebrate Biden's ascension. A pair of Reaper drones complete the picture, providing a clear hint for the doubtful that the image should be taken with a grain of salt.
This wasn't enough for some commenters, however, who seem to be taking it as a genuine piece of idolatry rather than political commentary.
Describing Trump supporters as a cult has become a trope among his Democratic critics. Which seems ironic, considering how the very same crowd in the past four years tended to invest emotionally in whoever they hoped would end Trump's presidency. Special Counsel Robert Muller probably received the lion's share of the prayers, though figures like ex-FBI director James Comey or even Trump's fixer-turned-critic Michael Cohen basked in some limelight.
The Biden hagiography reached an ear-piercing pitch during the inauguration week. A CNN host saw a vision of the president-elect's arms embracing America in the lighting of the Lincoln memorial, while a New York Times editor confessed to experiencing chills upon Biden landing at Joint Base Andrews. One could be excused for seeing such accounts as quasi-religious.
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