As soon as this writer saw this story from the Washington Post, Stephen Sondheim's 'Send in the Clowns' popped into her head:
But where are the clowns?
Quick, send in the clowns
Don't bothеr, they're here
They write op-eds at WaPo, apparently.
As God is my witness, this is a real WaPo piece pic.twitter.com/jZ7xJjMUPT
— Aelfred The Great (@aelfred_D) July 10, 2025
Yeah, it's real, and it's glorious.
But none of this qualifies Trump for such a title. I am a clown and board president of the nonprofit, Clowns Without Borders. I’m here to set the record straight.
...
All Clown shares the common values of healing, empathy and reflection. Our work touches people in need of joy everywhere. I’ve witnessed the smiles that clowns bring to the faces of people in hospitals, war zones, refugee camps and homeless shelters. In May, I traveled to Beirut to work with local clowns to share levity and playfulness with children living under the constant threat of bombardment. After our shows, their teachers told us that they saw a “life” in their students’ eyes that they’ve not seen since before October 2023.
...
Yet, our joyful work has been diminished into an insult. Every election season, the word “clown” resurfaces to compare tumultuous Washington politics to a circus. Political commentators and social media users are not the only ones who wrongfully sling this jibe. “Clown” is used by almost everyone to belittle those seen as foolish or incompetent. The more we mistreat the word, the more we lose understanding of a sacred art form.
Let’s find a better metaphor to despise and depose fascism. Keep Clown out of Trumpian comparisons, and for that matter, all politics. Offer Clown the respect it deserves and invoke us for good: in alliance with other artists, activists and humans who believe in a better, happier world.
Hang it in the Louvre.
At some point the editors have a responsibility to their institution and their authors not to embarrass them. That point has been passed.
— Aelfred The Great (@aelfred_D) July 10, 2025
A long time ago.
I did not have "clowns become the left's newest marginalized demographic" on my 2025 bingo card.
— DataRepublican (small r) (@DataRepublican) July 10, 2025
Neither did we.
I've seen rubber chickens glimmer off Tannhauser Gate...
— Andrew Follett (@AndrewCFollett) July 10, 2025
Time to die! pic.twitter.com/S20DJIS5yz
We are dying laughing.
Oh yes, clowns. Known for their sunny nature and ability to bring just so much joy!! pic.twitter.com/1JFzZ1Bpjh
— Sour Patch Lyds ن (@sourpatchlyds) July 10, 2025
Confession: This writer is terrified of clowns.
Real clowns do NOT bring joy to the world: they bring fear and existential dread.
— Aaron Gwyn (@AmericanGwyn) July 10, 2025
Aaron gets it.
The landing page makes for an interesting meme template. https://t.co/mXRMpf1NEM pic.twitter.com/NmK3VLXj8J
— T. Becket Adams (@BecketAdams) July 10, 2025
Aaaaand we're dead.
This piece is unintentionally hilarious but I agree with its conclusion, which is that we don't use the word "buffoon" enough. https://t.co/UKBF9ATCTH pic.twitter.com/EHEufkejQG
— Christopher J. Scalia (@cjscalia) July 10, 2025
Buffoon is a sorely underutilized word.
An underrated comms struggle is watching op-eds like this get published when you're in the trenches trying to get well-done, thoughtful pieces placed. https://t.co/DJauIY2Fa7
— Karly Matthews (@karlymatthews_) July 10, 2025
It's frustrating.
Remember folks, your pitch is *not* stupid. S**t like this gets published everywhere https://t.co/FayFL9mdqF
— Vicente Fox Mulder (@WASPmexicano) July 10, 2025
Shoot your shot.
When I saw a story from the Washington Post titled “I’m a clown,” I just assumed it was the editorial board and staff finally admitting what we’ve all known for years pic.twitter.com/jQc27v9NUv
— Ian Miller (@ianmSC) July 10, 2025
Oh, they admitted it, just not on the way you suspected at first.
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