'Vile' Newspaper Cartoon Mocks Texas Flood Victims, Sparks Immense Backlash

As families in Texas grieve the loss of over 120 loved ones—including 36 children—in one of the deadliest floods in state history, the left’s response has been as vile as it is predictable: mock the victims, blame Republicans, and turn tragedy into political theater.

On Monday, The Buffalo News published a grotesque cartoon by its Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Adam Zyglis that openly mocked victims of the Texas flooding, many of whom had no chance to flee the rising waters. The cartoon depicted a drowning man wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat, holding a sign that said “Help” while exclaiming, “Gov’t is the problem not the solution.”

The cartoon’s caption? Just two cruel words: “Swept Away…”

Zyglis even celebrated his own depravity in an Instagram post, writing: “That argument’s gone in a flash.” A smug reference to flash floods, as if wordplay somehow justified ridiculing families who just lost everything—many still waiting to recover the bodies of their children.

The backlash was immediate and fierce. Erie County Republican Chairman Michael Kracker blasted the publication, posting on X:

“@TheBuffaloNews ran a cartoon mocking Texas families who lost loved ones in a tragedy, just because they might’ve voted Republican. Twisted, vile, and shameful. They owe those families an apology and should pull this filth immediately.”

Former GOP Congressman Chris Jacobs echoed the outrage, calling out the politicization of disaster:

“Historically we put partisan politics aside during times of major tragedy or crisis. Unfortunately, The Buffalo News did the opposite with this depraved partisan cartoon.”

Zyglis, whose social media accounts drip with obsessive anti-Trump venom, is no stranger to controversy—but even for him, this was a new low.

And let’s be clear: the progressive narrative that somehow blames President Trump—or conservative voters—for the flood is as baseless as it is disgusting. Democrats tried to tie the tragedy to alleged “budget cuts” under Trump’s leadership, but even local Texas Democrats admitted the budget in question had not even taken effect at the time of the flooding.

Moreover, catastrophic flooding in Texas is not new. As The New York Post reported, the Guadalupe River—responsible for the recent devastation—also claimed lives back in 2015. That’s long before Trump stepped foot in the Oval Office.

But facts never matter to the radical left. The only thing they care about is political leverage—even if it means dancing on the graves of American children to get it.

Sadly, this isn’t Zyglis’s first brush with moral failure. In 2024, The Buffalo News was forced to issue a formal apology after the cartoonist published an antisemitic piece so egregious even liberal Senator Chuck Schumer distanced himself.

The truth is clear: when tragedy strikes, the American Left’s first instinct is not compassion—it’s exploitation.

At a time when Texans need prayers, aid, and unity, liberals like Adam Zyglis and the editorial staff at The Buffalo News choose cruelty, mockery, and ideological warfare. And they do it proudly.

It’s shameful. It’s divisive. And it reveals exactly who they are.