In Depth: United States of Tarot – Politics, Power, and Tarot

“Trigger Warning: May be offensive to Trump supporters.”

– Elena Lee McCune

When my mother told me she had bought a new tarot deck she thought was brilliant, I wasn’t surprised. She has near-impeccable taste and an uncanny talent for discovering must-have indie decks long before they hit the average collector’s radar.

But when she mentioned it featured Donald Trump, that brought me to a full stop.

Never in a million years did I expect my mother, a first-generation American whose parents fled a war-torn Germany, to willingly purchase anything with that man’s face on it. This is the same woman who once went viral for arguing with racists and neo-Nazis on Facebook while cozied up in a Downton Abbey quilt.

And yet, not only did she buy the deck, she told me it was one of the most cutting, relevant, and powerful time capsules she had ever seen represented in the cards. Then, after a skeptical flip-through, I found myself doing the unthinkable: clicking “Add to Cart” and adding a deck with that face to my collection.

Politics Through the Unforgiving Lens of Tarot

When I bought this deck in 2023, I saw it as a time capsule for an era we survived. Like the piece of the former Berlin Wall we purchased in the late 90s, an artifact that represents a cultural touchpoint. Now, in 2025, it feels less like a relic and more like a warning. What once read as retrospective now feels painfully current, complete with a certain billionaire awkwardly dancing in front of rockets which represent just another ego-lifting vanity project.

This deck pulls no punches. Elena Lee McCune makes her perspective clear, offering a searing, sometimes caustic reflection on American politics between 2017 and 2021. She calls this deck her therapy, her outlet, and her space which she will use to say exactly what she needs to say.

And what she says is brilliant (unless you’re a fan of the current system, in which case this is clearly not the deck for you). From a crumbling Trump Tower as “The Tower” to Mike Pence abandoned with only his golden calf to keep him company, the commentary is sharp, layered, and darkly humorous. She doesn’t shy away from the shadow side of the cards. Brett Kavanaugh appears as “Justice” in a moment of grim irony. Melania Trump, glittering and composed, becomes “The Empress” a symbol of hollow opulence, feminine energy used for material gain and kept secure in a gilded cage. Even the Kennedy-era “10 of Pentacles” feels both nostalgic and critical in a reminder that what gleams isn’t always gold. But with the January 6th insurrection landing on the “10 of Swords” the message is chillingly clear: it could always be worse.

The Light of Liberty Against the Darkness

While it’s easy to focus on the negative (because, let’s face it, there’s a lot to doom scroll then and now), there are certainty glimmers of hope captured within this deck. Obama and Joe Biden’s bromance on the “Four of Wands,” the hermit’s lantern wielded by Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren guiding strength’s lion while bolstered by the rallying cry “Nevertheless, she persisted” all communicate the counterpoint to the forces hoping to betray the foundations of American democracy. Optimism is also represented in the humble achievements of ordinary Americans, from the early settlers of the American west, to the representations of peace and love of the hippie movement, to the acknowledgements of the achievements of ordinary people turned heroes, such as Harriet Tubman and Martin Luther King Jr. This deck even makes space for modern voices in the pop culture landscape like Steven King, Oprah, and Steven Colbert.

The deck also casts some historical villains into a light that’s a bit more forgiving thanks to the benefit of hindsight. George Bush Jr. occupies the throne held by the “King of Cups” an acknowledgement of his role as a flawed leader who ruled with emotion over logic, for good and bad. Hillary Clinton rules as “Queen of Swords” a clear message of her ability to cut to the core with a sharp tongue and a cold demeanor which made her a polarizing but effective leader. A clearly better alternative than the emperor with no clothes who ended up occupying the throne of “The Emperor.”

Tarot Without All the Fake News

This deck has its fun, novelty side, but it’s more than just a gimmick… It’s a totally functional, readable deck. The cards are a bit larger than your usual deck, but not so big that they’re hard to handle, and they’re just thin enough to shuffle with a solid riffle. They strike a nice balance, making them easy to work with. The accompanying book follows the traditional “little white book” format, but with a twist: it directly ties into the events and people depicted on the cards. If you’re already familiar with the traditional Rider-Waite-Smith meanings, you’ll find reading from these cards intuitive. But even if you’re not an expert on those meanings, anyone with a solid grasp of past or current events can dive in and use these cards with ease. Personally, it’s become my go-to deck for reading about the world today. Sometimes, it hits uncomfortably close to home with how accurate its insights are.

That said, the deck does get some flak for its art style, with a few people questioning whether AI was used. But here’s the thing: this deck was created and published before AI was an accessible resource in the art scene (2017-2021), and any quirks in the style are more about the collage-like approach to the artwork than anything AI-generated. What really stands out is how transparent the author has been about the process… She names all the digital artists who helped bring her vision to life, which is something you don’t often see in decks that do rely on AI art. It’s a nice touch that adds a level of authenticity to the project.

TL;DR

If you are socially aware and are looking for a deck that encapsulates the 2016-2020 (and 2025 and beyond) experience, you’ll want to add this to your collection. This is the deck for anybody who:

• Wants a modern deck that retains it’s traditional influences
• Is looking for a deck for current event readings
• Has a collection of culturally-relevant Tarot decks

This certainly not the deck for:

• Those who are pro-“that guy”
• Want a deck with a solely optimistic, positive delivery
• Aren’t comfortable with a deck that contains content listed in the “warnings” section