Portuguese Artist goes viral with cartoon challenging Elon Musk
Senator Cory Booker was among the many people who shared the version of the iconic Tiananmen Square protest image, replacing the Chinese tanks with Tesla Cybertrucks.
A cartoon by Portuguese artist Zez Vaz, depicting a man stopping a line of Tesla’s Cybertrucks, has gone viral, sparking widespread discussion.
His illustration features a man carrying shopping bags as he stands in front of a lineup of Tesla’s futuristic, supposedly impenetrable Cybertrucks, designed by Musk himself.
“He represents hope and the fight against authoritarianism,” says the Porto-based artist.
The cartoon, titled Cybertruck Man, has been widely shared across social media.
The reference is unmistakable: the “Tank Man” of Tiananmen Square, who on June 5, 1989, bravely confronted a column of Chinese military tanks.
“The image of Tiananmen Square was stuck in my mind, and I realized how eerily similar the tanks looked to Cybertrucks. It was the perfect analogy. The man standing in front of the Cybertrucks in my cartoon, like the man facing the tanks in that historic photograph, is a symbol of resistance,” he explains. “He represents hope and the fight against authoritarianism.”
“It’s a more complex topic than what a simple cartoon can express,” says José Vaz, the artist behind the alias Zez Vaz.
“That’s the goal—to spark conversation, to let people interpret it in their own way and make their own connections.”
A Symbol of Resistance
Vaz channels his concerns into his art: “Musk and the entire American regime are symbolized by the Cybertrucks. They represent authoritarianism. We are rapidly heading toward an authoritarian regime, and this is evident in actions like mass deportations and Trump’s plans to send people to Guantánamo Bay, essentially creating a concentration camp—very similar to Chinese authoritarianism.”
While his criticism is primarily directed at the United States, Vaz emphasizes that his cartoon is about authoritarianism in general. “Elon Musk wasn’t elected to any position, yet he has positioned himself as Trump’s right-hand man. That is not democracy. The U.S. as a failing democracy is a global threat.”
Zez Vaz’s work largely focuses on geopolitics, with a particular emphasis on American politics, which he believes serves as a preview of what will unfold globally.
A Call to Action
Ultimately, Vaz’s motivation for creating the cartoon goes beyond critiquing figures like Trump or Musk.
“What bothers me the most isn’t even the ‘madmen’ like them—it’s the people who do nothing, who let things slide without speaking up. This drawing is my way of pointing a finger, and I hope it encourages others to do the same.”
Source: SIC Notícias
Authoritarianism? You mean exposing billions of dollars of taxpayer money disappearing into the pockets of corrupt politicians and public servants? These leftists have completely lost the plot because exactly what the EU needs is a DOGE to clean up its act and not more socialist corruption.