Brendan Smialowski captured this photo for AFP/Getty Images. It shows President Donald Trump walking alongside Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other Gulf leaders in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 14, 2025. This highly orchestrated summit yielded investments reportedly worth over $2 trillion, focused on military and defense, fossil fuel, and artificial intelligence. Given Trump's blurring of personal business with foreign policy, these deals raise profound questions about how much they serve American interests versus his own.
In the video, we analyze the visual choreography and power dynamics captured in this processional image. We discuss how the compositional choices—from the protective formation of Gulf leaders to the theatrical staging—create a sense of exclusivity that positions viewers as distant observers rather than participants. We also examine how the architectural framing and synchronized movement between Trump and MBS transform what might appear as diplomacy into a performance of alliance that raises questions about accountability and transparency.
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On February 2, 2025, AP photographer Eric Thayer captured a striking image: immigration reform protesters shutting down LA’s 101 freeway as law enforcement formed a blockade below. What seemed then like an early act of resistance now looks like a clear preview of this week’s escalating confrontations across Los Angeles. Sparked by the administration’s first ICE raids, those February protests exposed how communities would refuse to let deportations happen in the shadows—forcing these conflicts into the public eye, right on the infrastructure that has long divided and isolated them.
In this Chatting the Pictures video, we break down how the photo’s composition establishes a power dynamic between protesters and police, explore how the camera angle shapes our perception of citizen action versus security threat, and discuss how occupying freeways serves as a demand for visibility on the very arteries that have historically split predominantly poor, immigrant, and Black and Brown neighborhoods.
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