Outside the Beltway

Meanwhile, in North Korea…

In front of our noses: Authoritarian symbolism. (Yes, a cross-over ep!)

Steven L. Taylor · Tuesday, March 24, 2026 · 3 comments

So not only does this fall under the “Meanwhile, in North Korea…” category, which is aimed at demonstrating ways in which Trump and his allies engage in authoritarian symbolism and behavior, but it is also right in front of our noses and the kind of thing that is too easy to get used to.

While I have mentioned these banners before, I think it is worthwhile to point the reader to his piece in The Atlantic, Trump’s Giant Face Is Everywhere.

Authoritarian leaders want their face in your face. Their ubiquitous images personalize the state, making it synonymous with one man’s power. And they turn the citizen’s relationship with that leader into an emotional one. Mao had the Mona Lisa thing down well. In the 20-foot-tall portrait that still hangs over the gate to Tiananmen Square, he seems to be smiling in a way that could seem kindly, but also menacing, or at the very least projecting the kind of watchfulness that seems like a threat.

Adulation and fear are not the only goals. To me, the everywhere portrait also seems intended to create a sense, through repetition, that the leader is an organic, immutable part of the landscape. A truism among brand consultants is that for a campaign to be effective, a potential consumer needs to see the same slogan or hear the same jingle multiple times until it feels almost natural—what other soap or cereal could you possibly buy? What other president could you imagine than the one whose gigantic face is everywhere? 

Check out the photos and videos at the link.