Social Media Mock Trump/Pence ‘Sexual’ Logo

Shortly after announcing that his running mate will be Indiana governor Mike Pence, the Trump campaign released a new logo in a fundraising email. The image was quickly circulated and is the subject of widespread ridicule, particularly among LGBT social media users.

The logo features Trump and Pence’s surnames awkwardly intertwined in a way many social media users have called ‘sexual’. Trump’s capital ‘T’ passes through the hole in Pence’s ‘P’, appearing to ‘penetrate’ the letter in a manner reminiscent of a sex act.

The mockery is particularly appropriate given Pence’s long history of anti-LGBT campaigning and the raft of anti-gay provisions in the proposed GOP national platform. The poorly designed logo appeared at first to be an amateurish attempt by a Trump fan but its provenance has since been verified.

The new campaign logo may have been hastily prepared. Trump decided to delay announcing his vice-presidential choice following the deadly terrorist attack in Nice and speculation around his choice was rife in the last few days. It may be that Trump made his decision at the last minute and the campaign had to rush to create an image for immediate circulation.

The apparent similarity between the Trump/Pence logo and a homosexual sex act has re-started the mocking use of Trump’s own Twitter hashtag #AskTheGays. Trump used this hashtag to prove how good he would be for LGBT rights. Like the new logo, Trump’s attempt to win LGBT support on social media has backfired.