"A Great Artist"

My Final Newsletter of 2025..

WASHINGTON — The phone rang Wednesday while I was sitting in the House press gallery. My buddy Cristobal Alex’s name on the screen.

“Hey, this is Joe Biden. You’re a great artist, man.”

“Bullshit, what do you need?”

“No, seriously, hey Jill, put on the FaceTime.”

Next thing I know, Dr. Jill Biden’s face is on my phone, then the ex-president’s, and I’m apologizing for cursing and showing him around the Frederick Douglass Press Gallery while my colleagues try to file their stories. I showed him my portrait of Douglass hanging above the AP booth. He liked it. Invited me to his office in the new year.

Which is nice. But here’s what I need to tell you.

I haven’t painted much this year. I’ve been too busy cleaning my studio to cope with the stress of watching this administration tear families apart. Too busy writing. Too busy breaking news that the big outlets won’t touch.