A new billboard towering over Grand Avenue in Phoenix has become the latest artistic broadside against former President Donald Trump, portraying him as the self-declared “Swamp King” amid deepening criticism over his second-term agenda.
Installed on July 3, the billboard flips one of Trump’s own favorite catchphrases on its head—casting him not as the one draining the swamp, but as its crowned ruler.
“Instead of cleaning things up, the swamp’s just gotten bigger and murkier,” said artist Karen Fiorito, who designed the piece.
The imagery is jarring: a shirtless, scowling Trump wades chest-deep in sludge, wearing a golden crown. Beside him floats a crumpled budget summary listing cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, while a MAGA-hat-wearing alligator circles nearby—a nod to Florida’s harsh immigration policies. Sinking behind him are a Tesla Cybertruck tagged with a swastika, a container labeled “TARIFFS”, and a distant mushroom cloud, symbolizing chaos.
“It’s deliberately overwhelming,” Fiorito explained. “This administration overwhelms people with crisis after crisis. I wanted to mirror that feeling of being bombarded.”
Art as Activism in an Election Battleground
The billboard, located at 11th and Grand avenues, is owned by longtime Phoenix artist and community advocate Beatrice Moore, who has turned down multiple corporate offers to purchase the space.
“It’s just too valuable as a platform for artists and political expression,” Moore said. “You can’t put a price on that.”
Fiorito has used the billboard for years to launch provocative critiques. Past designs have labeled Trump as “Liar-in-Chief”, “Putin’s Puppet”, and Elon Musk as “Twitler.” The latest piece builds on that legacy as Democrats intensify their messaging ahead of the 2026 midterms, targeting vulnerable Republicans in Arizona and beyond.
National Democrats and health care advocacy groups like Protect Our Care have begun airing ads accusing GOP incumbents of voting for Trump’s budget, which includes what they call “the largest Medicaid cut in U.S. history”—a move critics say will cripple rural hospitals and social services.
Still, polls suggest the details of the budget have yet to fully penetrate public consciousness, even as Trump’s favorability has slipped. Democrats’ own approval ratings, however, have also struggled to climb.
Trump, Project 2025, and Public Reaction
The reverse side of the billboard features a stoic Trump next to a speech bubble declaring: “I have nothing to do with Project 2025,” referring to the deeply controversial GOP policy blueprint that proposes sweeping changes to the federal government. The plan, widely seen as extreme, has proven politically toxic in recent polls.
Fiorito said she gauges success by the reaction her artwork provokes.
“I want people who agree to feel validated,” she said. “And I want those who don’t to feel uncomfortable. Tyrants hate mockery—because it makes them look small and powerless.”
Moore echoed that urgency: “We’re in a very dangerous moment. People need to wake up.”
As Trump continues his campaign to retake the White House, Fiorito and Moore say their billboard will remain a towering act of resistance—visible to all who pass by Grand Avenue.
