A major American newspaper based in New York City has mocked US President Donald Trump on the country’s Independence Day by depicting him as a clown.
The New York Daily News’s July 4 cover features an edited image showing Trump in full clown makeup, wearing a shattered gold crown.
“The clown who plays king can’t overthrow the bedrock values this nation was founded on 242 years ago today,” the headline reads.
The United States was officially formed 242 years ago after it declared independence from the former British empire on July 4, 1776.
“President Trump's cruelty in deflecting entry of desperate migrants … coincides with measures to choke legal channels for immigration, drying up needed fresh vigor for America before our eyes,” the paper’s editorial board wrote in their opinion piece.
The New York Daily News, which is based in Trump’s hometown, has been highly critical of the president and often uses their front page to mock him over scandals.
Trump finds himself in the midst of several scandals this July 4, including his administration’s recent policy of separating immigrant families at the US-Mexico border and intensifying tariff battles with key American allies.
Many migrant children remain separated from their parents or guardians despite Trump’s executive order in June to halt the practice under pressure.
More than 2,300 migrant children were separated from their parents as a result of the administration’s “zero tolerance” policy that began in early May and sought to prosecute all adults crossing the border without authorization, including those traveling with children.