The artist who sketched former President Donald Trump’s arraignment last week in Florida responded to criticisms that he portrayed Trump as younger and more physically fit than reality.
“It’s rare I get any kind of feedback,” sketch artist William J. Hennessy Jr., 65, told the Boston Globe.
Hennessy was one of three artists who captured Trump’s appearance at his arraignment in federal court in Miami last Tuesday. Trump was indicted on 37 federal charges related to alleged willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and false statements. Trump pleaded not guilty and slammed the charges as a “witch hunt.”
The sketches came under criticism by some on social media who claimed that Hennessy portrayed Trump as younger than his age of 77 and thinner than reality.
“Is this William J Hennessy Jr’s audition to do Trumps official Whitehouse portrait?” one Twitter user asked of the sketch.
“They got Trump looking like ‘Prince of Tides’ Nick Nolte in this sketch,” another Twitter user wrote.
“That last sketch of Trump looks almost exactly like the recent photo of his son Barron,” another wrote.
Hennessy told the Globe that he received a mix of responses to his sketches, about half being favorable and half criticizing him.
“Some said he looked too thin, too young, and some said he looked too good,” Hennessy said, telling the outlet that the negative comments appeared to come from people who “didn’t care much for Trump.”
For Hennessy, he said the day in the Miami court was “a pretty stressful” one but that he drew his sketches just how he saw them.
“I don’t editorialize,” he said. “I just draw what I see.”
