A Little Context
Footnotes to the Absurd
The forecast he could redraw
On September 4, 2019, Trump displayed a Hurricane Dorian forecast map with a black-marker addition extending the projected danger area into Alabama. The altered map followed his disputed warning that Alabama would likely be hit. The episode became known as “Sharpiegate.”
This time, the storm is electoral
On October 22, 2026, the Justice Department sued Alaska, seeking to prevent certification of its Senate election under specified circumstances if Republican incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan loses.
DOJ argues that another candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan, could confuse voters. Its proposed trigger is a result in which the incumbent would have won if votes for the other Sullivan had instead gone to him, with ranked-choice tabulation recalculated accordingly. DOJ seeks an investigation into those voters’ intentions.
An allegation, not a finding
DOJ alleges that the second Sullivan’s candidacy was intended to mislead voters and benefit Democrat Mary Peltola. He denies being a Democratic plant. Alaska’s courts previously rejected his exclusion from the ballot, with the state Supreme Court affirming that outcome on June 29, 2026.
On October 23, 2026, Trump acknowledged directing the federal lawsuit: “I’m the one that said do it.” DOJ describes its intervention as protecting election integrity.
The cartoon
“Cone of Denial” replaces the hurricane with a symbolic Democratic wave and the marker correction with “LITIGATION.”
The map is not an actual election forecast. Neither the drawing nor its “10 Day” headline predicts a Democratic victory. Trump’s dialogue and the scene are invented.
The satirical point: when the projected outcome looks threatening, redraw its path through court.