STEVEN HIRSCH PAINTS THE ORANGE ONE, THE DEAR LEADER WHO HAS PLAYED AN OVERSIZE ROLE IN CREATING OUR DYSTOPIAN MOMENT

A CRIMINAL-COURTS PHOTOGRAPHER WHO IS ALSO A PAINTER EXPLAINS HOW HIS TRUMP PICTURES HAVE RECORDED A MEMORABLE PERIOD OF HIS LIFE

Published on June 9, 2025

by Edward M. Gómez, with Steven Hirsch

It’s hard to find a single word that best describes the multifaceted abomination that is Donald J. Trump and the fanatical cult that propelled him to political power, a following whose deranged, sycophantic members, even now that their Dear Leader has repeatedly lied to, abused, and betrayed them, still enthusiastically support him.

Steven Hirsch, “The Trumps,” 2023, acrylic on paper. Photo courtesy of the artist

As the would-be dictator’s niece, the psychologist, author, and YouTube channel host Mary Trump, has repeatedly pointed out, the best way to attack and get under her pathologically mendacious, ignorant, malignantly narcissistic uncle’s skin is to mock him.

After all, as satirists have long known, ridicule is a powerful, hard-hitting weapon when it’s deployed with imagination, precision, and skill. If there’s one thing a narcissist can’t stand, it’s being exposed, which is exactly what chuckling about Trump reflects — the fact that those doing the laughing, at such a narcissist’s expense, can see right through him.

Steven Hirsch, “Trump in the Courtroom,” 2024, digital photograph. Photo courtesy of the artist

The photographer and painter Steven Hirsch (Instagram: @stevenhirsch) is a regular contributor to brutjournal. See his portfolio of pictures evoking the spirit of our current, unsettling times that was recently published in the magazine’s current series, “The New Dystopia.”

Hirsch has spent many years on the beat at the criminal courts in downtown Manhattan, snapping photos of the stars and heroes of low society, from corporate embezzlers and crooked politicians to more pedestrian, common-issue ne’er-do-wells and thieves.

Steven Hirsch, “Trump, Moment After Guilty Verdict,” May 30, 2024, digital photograph. Photo courtesy of the artist

More recently, Hirsch was at the courthouse when Donald J. Trump was arraigned for a long list of felony charges and then, later, again, when his trial ended, and his guilty verdict was announced.

Here, recognizing the huge role Trump has played in generating the unstable, alarming, destructive conditions that have rapidly developed in the U.S.A. and whose effects are being felt in so many other parts of the world, we publish a sampling of Hirsch’s paintings of the Orange One, whose old, leathery skin appears to be permanently stained by badly applied, fake-tan lotion.

Steven Hirsch, “Cheetos,” 2023, acrylic on paper. Photo courtesy of the artist

Our Steven was there, in New York State Supreme Court, during the spring of 2024, when Trump was being tried in criminal proceedings that led to a jury finding him guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Uniquely among other kinds of Trump-watchers, in the courtroom, Hirsch gained a firsthand sense of Dear Leader’s in-person aura and presence.

Steven told us, “I was inches away from him when I photographed him.” This understanding of his subject informs the series of paintings the artist has been producing since 2020.

Steven Hirsch, “Trump with COVID (1),” 2023, acrylic on paper. Photo courtesy of the artist

About them, he told us, “I started painting Trump in 2020, when he became sick with COVID. I was amazed that he survived. Of course, it was likely that he would, because, after all, he received the kind of treatment nobody else could get at the time. I wanted to paint Trump because he’s ingrained in the psyche of all of us. He monopolizes the news and the buzz of everyday life. You can’t ignore him.”

He added, “When COVID first exploded, I became obsessed with painting and drawing scenes of the coronavirus-pandemic period. It lasted for years, and, at the beginning, I spent six months painting it every day. As for Trump, between his civil trial and his criminal trial, he was on trial for over four months — another long stretch in my life. I photographed him every day during both trials.”

Steven Hirsch, “Trump with COVID (2),” 2023, acrylic on paper. Photo courtesy of the artist

We wanted to find out if, in making these paintings, Hirsch was primarily responding to Trump’s ubiquitous presence in the news or if, perhaps, he had been inspired by his interest in the Liar in Chief’s character, personality, or behavior.

Steven said, “My paintings and drawings are about storytelling. I see them as visual narratives of my own life. I had photographed Trump many times before he became president, like one time, in his office, when a bald eagle attacked him. (In fact, maybe I should paint that.) The point is that, like it or not, for many years, he has been a character in my life. I’ve photographed and painted many criminals and miscreants, so why not Trump, too?”

Steven Hirsch, “Trump Trial,” 2024, acrylic on paper. Photo courtesy of the artist

How would Hirsch describe the Orange One’s aura?

The artist replied, “He’s personable. He winked at me and said hello. Most criminals don’t wink at me in court. In fact, some have spat at me — menacingly so. By contrast, photographing and then painting Trump was a more pleasant experience. Since yellow and orange are two of my favorite colors, he turned out to be a perfect subject for me. And his hair. I was amazed by his hair.”

[Scroll down to see more of Steven Hirsch’s paintings of the Orange One.]