Faces of the Republican Party (2022-Present)

Americans have lost confidence in our government. Instead, governance has become a series of cultural battles while our politicians ignore our basic needs. The 2024 presidential election presented us with two different visions for the future. “Faces of the Republican Party,” explores the clash between democracy and the threat of authoritarianism.

Political theorist Sheldon Wolin suggested that the nature of totalitarianism (a more extreme version of authoritarianism) began to shift in the late 20^th century from systems like Nazism and Communism, which exercised total political control over the public from the top down, to a more dispersed system of power centers that included political parties, corporations, academia, and the media. Coining the term “inverted totalitarianism,” he examined how these systems worked together to exert power over the electorate, separating voters from our political process. Wolin wrote, “Politically it means encouraging…“civic demobilization,” conditioning an electorate to being aroused for a brief spell, controlling its attention span, and then encouraging distraction or apathy.”

This disenfranchisement leaves voters in a perpetual state of fear—fear of  “others,” fear of losing their jobs and health care, and fear of being able to house and feed their families. As we become preoccupied with this fear, we surrender our power to authoritarian leaders who stoke this anxiety while promising to fix it. This is the world of Donald Trump.

Many of his ardent supporters are highly educated. They see their allegiance as a way to maintain power or court influence. Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos are three examples. Others take part for more ideological reasons, seeing Trump as their insurance that religious and cultural norms will be enshrined or neutralized.

We live in a world of trauma and constant confrontation. “Faces of the Republican Party” reflects on that state of mind. The words I use to describe each individual are factual, and the portraits are visceral reactions to these facts. I’m commenting on this point in our history, documenting and interpreting what we’re experiencing.

Living in our nation’s capital puts me close to these power centers. As someone recently said to me, “Washington, D.C. is the angriest city in which I’ve lived. People come here from all over the country to air their grievances.” How can we trust a party that Alex Patton, a Republican consultant and pollster, has characterized as a party that “has become mean and driven by emotion on whom we dislike.” “But,” he says, “that is the driving force in American politics right now.”

When grievances become hate and divisiveness becomes a goal, we have disconnected from our founders’ vision for this country. “Faces of the Republican Party is my attempt to counter the demobilization of the American electorate.

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If you like the images, but can’t see yourself hanging one of these portraits in your house, I’ve got a deal for you. I’ve created a deck of poker cards featuring 54 of these images. If we’re gambling with our democracy, why not place our bets? Find out how you can purchase “The GOP’s House of Cards.”

Click on any image to see the series larger.