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Learn Basic Photo Editing

How To Add Speech Bubbles To Your Photos

By Whitney | Basic Photo Editing • Photo Editor Tutorials

There are some photos that are just asking for a speech bubble. The expression on someone’s face usually sets it off. You take one look and instantly think of the perfect caption, then proceed to laugh out loud at the perfectness of it all. They say pictures are worth a thousand words but some can be summed up in just a few hilariously fitting ones.

For all the photos you come across that would be made even better with a speech bubble, we’ve got a little something that will help you get the look in just a few clicks. Whatever the caption, you can add BeFunky’s Speech Bubble overlays to your photos and type away! They’re sure to help you share the fun with all of your friends, all in a matter of minutes.

Speech Bubbles Help Tell A Story  

Whether you want to turn your photo into a professional-looking comic or just want to have a little fun, any time is a good time to add a speech bubble. You can make an image hilarious by adding the right caption, or simply say exactly what you were thinking when you took that last selfie. There are many different kinds of speech bubbles that are available in BeFunky to help you tell your story. Here's a little sample of them and when to use each kind: 

Similar to making memes, speech bubbles can help you get the point across in a unique way. Here are some of the best cases where speech bubbles can make your photos more amusing:

Awkward Family Photos. Family photos can be a great opportunity to add a thought or speech bubble, the more awkward the better!  

Pet Photography. Since animals can say so much with their facial expressions and nonverbal cues, you can give them a voice with a speech bubble.

Photos With Your Best Friend. Because you know each other well enough that you have a million inside jokes.

For Stating Facts And Quotes. For a school project or a website, a speech bubble can be an easy and intriguing way to make a point.

How To Add A Speech Bubble In BeFunky

If you’re dying to add a speech bubble or two to your photos, BeFunky makes it incredibly easy. First, head to the Photo Editor and upload a photo.

Under the Graphics tab, click Search Graphics and then search for Speech Bubbles. Multiple options will come up, some with pre-filled text and others that are blank for you to type your own messages.

From here, you can click and drag the speech bubble wherever it fits best on your photo, and use the blue circles around it to resize and rotate.  If you hold down the Shift key while dragging the blue circles, you’ll be able to resize your speech bubble in freeform!

Notice that when you click on your speech bubble, a Graphic Properties toolbar appears. In this menu, you can flip the orientation of the speech bubble so it’s facing the correct direction, if need be. The Graphic Properties toolbar also presents you with tons of options to change the color, opacity, blend mode, and more!

When you’ve got your speech bubble exactly where you want it, it’s time for the fun part: adding some text. Click on the Text tab in the left menu and select Add Text . Select the text box that appears and start typing!

From the Text Properties toolbar that appears when your text box is selected, you can change the font, font color, paragraph orientation, and more. It’s best to start by resizing your text box to fit inside the speech bubble. That way, you’ll know exactly what the end result will look like.

Once you've got your text looking perfect, you're ready to save and share your photo! Using the Save button at the top of the Photo Editor, you'll be able to save your photo to your computer, Dropbox, and more.

If you're ready to share it on social media right away, select the Share button at the top of the Photo Editor and automatically post it to your Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, or Twitter!

Take It To The Next Level With Cartoonizer

If you’re going for more of a comic book feel, we’ve got some really cool effects that will take your photo to the next level! Clicking on the Artsy tab will open a huge library of photo to art effects that will transform your photo into something that looks like it came from the pages of a graphic novel. One of the best effects for this is BeFunky’s Cartoonizer .

When you click on the Cartoonizer category, you’ll find several effects that will take you from photo to cartoon in a single click. Preview each effect on your photo until you find one you love.

Notice that each Cartoonizer effect has it’s own Settings Menu where you can control the strength of the effect, colors, and detail level. Once you're satisfied, click Save.

The best part about these Photo To Art effects is that they’re completely exclusive to BeFunky - you can’t find them anywhere else. That means you’ve got yourself a photo that’s truly unique. And just look at that detail! 

Ready to start adding speech bubbles to your photos or turning them into comics? Our Photo Editor has everything you could ever need and then some. Follow the link below to get started!

Photo Editing, Simplified.

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Turn your images into speech bubble memes with ease!

Drag 'n' drop your image here, or click to select one

Frequenty asked questions

What is Speechmeme?

Speechmeme is a tool that allows you to easily turn images into trendy and popular speech bubble memes, often seen in chat messages on social platforms like discord.

What type of images do you support?

You can currently use any image format such as JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, SVG, WEBP, TIFF, AI, PSD, EPS, PDF, SVG, and more.

Why did you make this?

I made this tool because I often found content on Discord and other social media platforms that needed to be turned into a speech bubble meme. However, when I tried to find a reliable speech bubble meme generator on Google, I couldn't find any suitable websites. Let's be honest, nobody wants to search for a template and then go through the trouble of editing it to fit their needs. That's why I created this tool.

Why is the output image always of type '.gif'?

Discord only permits you to star/favorite gifs. Since many people enjoy favoriting speech bubble memes, I concluded it was the optimal choice to make.

Can I delete my images?

Images uploaded to our public gallery can be easily deleted by clicking on the little trash can icon in the top right corner of your post.

Is this free?

This speech bubble meme maker will forever stay free. I hope you enjoy using it!

Add Speech Bubble to Photo

Add a speech bubble to a photo for free. With Pixelied, you can add speech stickers and icons to any image with a few clicks.

Upload image to get started

How to add a speech bubble to a photo in 4 steps.

You don’t have to download an app to add a thought bubble to a photo. Pixelied’s speech bubbles generator helps you achieve your goal directly in your browser.

Upload ypur photo in JPG or PNG format

Upload a photo or drag-n-drop it to the editor in JPG or PNG format.

Click on the “Elements” button

Click on the “Elements” button in the left menu and select “Speech Bubbles” from the dropdown submenu.

Choose your favorite speech bubble object

Choose your favorite speech bubble object, insert it into the photo, and add a caption in the bubble.

Download your image

Click on the “Download” button when you’re done to save your image in multiple file formats.

Add Speech Bubble To Photo Tutorial

The free toolkit for easy, beautiful images

Pixelied is a fast and straightforward solution to add a text bubble to a photo. If you wish to amuse your friends on social media, or you want to create a catchy digital project, you can do so in an instant with our free image editor.

Easily Add Thought Bubble to Photos

Putting speech bubbles on photos doesn’t have to be complicated. You can do it easily with Pixelied.

Our image editor can help you add speech bubbles to images, customize your photos and create share-worthy pictures for social media in minutes.

Instantly Add Text Bubble to Photos

Spark some laughs on social media. Make a lovely photo even more remarkable with a text bubble.

Amuse your friends with your captions. Browse our extensive library of speech bubbles to find one that perfectly matches your photo and emotions.

Easy-to-Use Speech Bubble Generator

Create a narrative around your photo. Use thought bubbles to convey a clear message to your audience.

Our speech bubble generator helps you express your thoughts with ease. Choose a bubble icon that fits your style and let the world know what you think.

Export Image in Multiple High-Res Formats

Produce images that look great and communicate your convictions. Make shareable designs that are perfect for social media.

After customizing your photo and adding text bubbles, you can download it in multiple high-resolution formats, such as JPG, PNG, SVG, and more.

Add Speech Bubble to Photo with More Customizations

Help your audience focus on your image’s message. Crop the image to eliminate distractions.

Direct the viewer’s sight to the text bubble. Use borders to highlight the text.

Drop Shadow

Make your photos look more realistic. Add shadows to enhance their appearance.

Share your image on social media. Resize it so it will match the platform’s size specifications.

Amuse your audience with an inverted perspective. Flip the image to make it funnier.

Adjust the text bubble to avoid blocking the viewer’s sight. Rotate it so it will fit perfectly.

More Than Just a Speech Bubbles Generator Tool

Use Pixelied to add speech bubbles to a photo and more. Our online image editor helps online professionals and business owners create amusing designs starting from scratch or with the help of ready-made templates. Adding a speech bubble on pictures is only one of the multiple free features at your disposal. With Pixelied, you can add captions, borders, icons or use special effects and filters to customize your image to perfection.

Frequently Asked Questions

To add a speech bubble on pictures, upload your photo or drag n drop it to the editor. Next, click on the ‘Elements’ tab at the left sidebar and select “Speech Bubbles” from the dropdown submenu. Select any speech bubble object and add it to your image along with your caption. After you’re done, download the image in multiple file formats.

First, upload your image using the button above. Next, locate the elements section on the left side of the editor and select “Speech Bubbles” from the dropdown menu. Add the thought bubble to your image, along with a catchy caption. Once done editing, download the image in multiple high-res formats.

Pixelied is the best online app to add a thought bubble to a photo without Photoshop or specialized software. This application can help add catchy speech bubbles to your images.

Pixelied is an online photo editing tool that’s easy to use and requires no technical skills of complicated software like Photoshop or Gimp.

Yes, you can fully customize an image by adding text, icons, photos, elements, illustrations, mockups, and much more.

Yes, the downloaded images can be used for personal and commercial purposes without attribution.

Write some text and click Create to make your own pixel speech bubble.

Inspired by the style of Diesel Sweeties by R. Stevens. Questions or comments? twitter @pxlspeechbubble / email [email protected]

7 Best Speech Bubble Makers to Try in 2024

By Eva Williams 19 days ago, Software Reviews

To show your character’s thoughts or make it speak in an image or a video, you should try one of these speech bubble makers. You can add such word balloons to any subject including a person, an animal, a cartoon character, and even an inanimate object. The programs reviewed in this guide are available online, and some of them are great for enhancing photos, while others are designed with clip editing in mind.

Top 7 Speech Bubble Makers

• Adobe Express - Numerous templates
• Canva - Colors are easy to adjust
• Phrase.it - Offers various filters
• PiZap - A myriad of fonts and text effects
• VistaCreate - Excellent customization options
• FlexClip - The best program for video
• Kapwing - Instant sharing with friends

When selecting the programs for this review, I considered such aspects as interface convenience and availability of templates for a streamlined workflow. Besides, some options also offer additional features for enhancing images, resizing and cropping them.

How Quickly Turn Photo into Comics?

FixThePhoto retouchers can help you with the task. They can add speech bubbles to an image, make colors brighter, change the background and make a model look like a character from a comic book or cartoon.

1. Adobe Express — Our Choice

• Many free and premium templates
• Tools for customizing speech bubbles based on your design
• Great selection of text shapes
• Excellent tool for novices

Verdict : Adobe Express allows creating a dynamic composition of pictures, icons, and text by including speech balloons in your design. Users can take advantage of various templates to create bubbles according to specific demands. Select the desired template, customize it to your preferences, and save your design.

This Adobe software has a convenient search function, which you can use to find a speech balloon and icon in an instant. To achieve the desired result, change the size, color, and orientation of a shape. Users who’ve purchased the premium subscription of this free photo collage maker , get access to more advanced templates, pictures, and fonts.

• Many text bubble layouts
• Optimized for mobile platforms
• Allows for direct sharing on social networks
• Accurate color correction
• Limited functionality in a free version

Verdict : Using Canva , you can add dialogues to an image or turn a set of pictures into comics with the help of speech balloons. To include a speech balloon in your design, find the desired shape in the image collection and click on it. The style and form of a balloon help express the emotions hidden behind the text. Additionally, this graphic design software allows customizing the color of a balloon, text, change the size, and font.

Except for text, you can include some images in a speech balloon. Browse the picture library in search of the “speech bubble frame” and choose a proper shape. Drag a picture and put it into a frame. It is great that the program crops a picture automatically, and if you want to adjust an image, simply choose the speech balloon and click “crop”.

3. Phrase.it

• Access to stock images
• Filters to spice up photos
• Works lag-free in different browsers
• Collection of ready-made speech bubbles
• No way to choose your favorite stock image

Verdict : Phrase.it is an online speech bubble generator. You can either upload media files from your PC or use random stock images. Thanks to the drag-and-drop functionality, you can easily add a speech balloon clipart to a picture. Afterward, you can insert the text into a bubble.

Besides, Phrase.it allows combining several images into a single cartoon strip and sprucing them up with filters. A considerable drawback of this program is the impossibility to choose a stock photo that you like, as an image is uploaded to your workspace automatically.

• Customizable speech balloons
• Numerous fonts and text effects
• Can be used by smartphone owners
• Allows saving finished projects to the cloud
• Registration is obligatory

Verdict : PiZap is probably the best speech bubble maker if you want to complement images with text bubbles in a quick way. Click on the speech bubble and relocate it to the desired part of your picture. You can also experiment with various fonts and text effects. Using this software for photo borders , resizing a speech balloon is a breeze.

For more creative tweaks, you can add stickers, clip art, custom emojis, and other elements to your composition. The program is optimized for computer and smartphone usage. Once you’ve created an image with a text bubble, you can send your design to friends and relatives. Sharing photos on social networks is possible right from the program. If needed, you can save your designs to free storage.

5. VistaCreate

• Easy-to-manage shapes and templates for creating speech bubbles
• Multiple fonts
• Tools for editing clips
• Stylish text effects
• Only suitable for videos

Verdict : VistaCreate is a user-friendly comic speech bubble generator, which is a perfect option for beginners. It allows adding text bubbles to an image in just a few steps. Make your pictures alive with this online platform by showing what your character is pondering over by using speech balloons. Besides, you can experiment with colors and styles for a more personalized result.

VistaCreate allows changing a speech bubble outline. To do this, click on the outline and select the appropriate color. You can also use animated elements to add movement to your photo.

6. FlexClip

• Automatic backups
• It is available for business and personal
• Notifications if backups fail
• Easy restore process
• Weak functionality
• Expensive subscription

Verdict : FlexClip is a great speech bubble creator if you are mainly involved in video improving. You can create a balloon with default shapes or choose one of the animated bubble templates and make customizations. To add a text balloon, head to the Elements tab to select the desired template. Next, choose the “Text” option and scan through the variety of text effects to find a perfect one.

You can customize your text with original fonts to make your design more stylish. Another considerable advantage is that the program is absolutely free and doesn’t add a watermark to the finished project.

• Many ways to add a speech balloon
• Text editing options
• A mobile version available
• Easy sharing on social media platforms
• Not for total newbies

Verdict : To insert a text balloon using Kapwing, look for the necessary clip art on the main toolbar. Another way is to choose “Images” and then an “Emoji” tab. The program has an extensive collection of built-in bubbles for Apple iOS. Besides, you can find a speech bubble PNG in Google or use the shape from the “Shapes” tab. The fill and outline color of the bubble can be easily changed.

Once you’ve created and added a bubble, click on your picture overlay to change the size or position of your design. If you like an emoji, select the “Add Text” tab to insert some phrases. You can also resize the text to make it look perfect inside the speech balloon.

• Top speech bubble makers

• Video Editing Services
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• Outsource Photo Editing
• Retouching Tips
• Photo Editing Freebies
• Free Raw Images for Retouching
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Online Speech Bubble Maker – Great Looking Speech Bubble Photos in Seconds

So you are looking for a fun and free Speech Bubble Maker ? Don’t look further. Our  comic speech bubble generator  is exactly what you need. Below we’ll cover everything you need to get started.  To get started, simply click the button below and put speech bubbles on your photos within seconds.

How to Get Started With Comic Speech Bubble Generator PhraseIt ?

Adding speech bubble to photos is easy with PhraseIt. Our Speech Bubble Maker application was designed to get you great looking results within minutes. And you know what is even better: No sign-up is needed and the service is free of costs.

So let’s get started!

Follow these steps

• Click the button “Create New Image” on the top right of this page.
• Next, scroll down and click on “Upload Photo From Your Device”.
• Select a photo from your hard drive
• You will now be redirected to the Speech Bubble Generator view
• It’s time to get creative! Select the speech bubble layout you want from the top navigation and start adding speech bubbles to your photos.

Other Things You Can Do With Our Speech Bubble Maker

Next to adding comic speech bubbles to your photos you can also apply different photo effects.

Our photo effects are similar to the ones you already know from social media platforms like Instagram. Applying a photo effect can give your creation a great looking vintage style for example.

But there is more …

You can upload multiple photos and create your own comic strip online. This feature makes PhraseIt one of the best comic speech bubble generator out there.

Once your image is saved, you can also share it on other social networks like Twitter, Reddit or Instagram. You can also send your speech bubble image to friends via Email.

Frequently Asked Question

Who will see my speech bubble photos? It’s completely up to you! You decide who will be able to see comic speech bubble generator

After clicking on the button above, you will be asked to give phrase.it permission to access your photos. You can then choose if your speech bubble photo is visible for your friends, only for yourself or public. Once the image is uploaded back to facebook you can change these settings for each individual photo.

Does PhraseIt work  on iPhone, iPad or Android mobile device? Yes, yes and yes. PhraseIt works great on most mobile devices. After choosing “upload from your device” you can directly snap a photo with your device camera or select a photo you took before.

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How to Easily Add Speech Bubble in Canva: A Step-by-Step Guide

Home » Blog » How to Easily Add Speech Bubble in Canva: A Step-by-Step Guide

Founder of CanvaTemplates.com & Professional Graphic Designer

Jake Tucker

Canva Templates is reader supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

Canva is a popular graphic design platform that offers a wide range of tools and features to help users create stunning designs for various purposes. One of the most sought-after features of Canva is its speech bubble maker, which allows users to add speech bubbles to their photos and designs with ease. Whether you’re creating a comic strip or a social media post, adding a speech bubble can help convey the message more effectively.

To add a speech bubble to your design in Canva, you can choose from a variety of pre-made speech bubble shapes and styles. You can also customize the size, color, and font of the text inside the bubble to match your design. Canva’s speech bubble maker is easy to use, even for beginners, and offers a range of options to suit different design needs.

Accessing Speech Bubble in Canva

Canva is a popular graphic design tool that offers a wide range of features, including speech bubbles. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to access speech bubbles in Canva:

Step 1: Open Canva

To get started, open Canva and sign in to your account. If you don’t have an account yet, you can create one for free. Once you’re logged in, you’ll be taken to the Canva homepage.

Step 2: Select Speech Bubble

Next, navigate to the search bar at the top of the page and type in “speech bubble.” This will bring up a list of speech bubble templates that you can choose from. Simply select the speech bubble template that you want to use by clicking on it.

Alternatively, you can also create your own speech bubble by using the “shapes” tool. To do this, click on the “Elements” tab and then select the “Shapes” category. From here, choose the “Bubbles” sub-category and then select the speech bubble shape you want to use. With your speech bubble selected, click on the “Text” tab and enter the text you want to display inside the bubble.

Once you have selected or created your speech bubble, you can customize it by changing the color, font, and size of the text. You can also add additional elements to your design, such as images and icons, to make it more visually appealing.

Customizing Speech Bubble

Customizing the speech bubble in Canva is a simple process that can be done in just a few steps. Here are the steps to follow:

Step 3: Choose Speech Bubble Style

The first step is to choose the speech bubble style that best suits your design. To do this, click on the “Elements” tab on the left-hand side of the screen and then select the “Shapes” category.

From here, choose the “Bubbles” sub-category and then select the speech bubble shape you want to use. Canva provides a range of speech bubble styles to choose from, including rectangular, rounded, and cloud-shaped.

Step 4: Edit Speech Bubble Text

After you have selected the speech bubble style, the next step is to edit the text inside the bubble. To do this, simply click on the speech bubble and then click on the “Text” tab on the left-hand side of the screen.

Here, you can enter the text you want to display inside the speech bubble. You can also change the font, font size, and font color of the text to match your design.

Step 5: Adjust Speech Bubble Size and Position

Once you have customized the text inside the speech bubble, the final step is to adjust the size and position of the bubble. To do this, click on the speech bubble and then use the resizing handles to adjust the size of the bubble. You can also drag the bubble to a new position on the canvas by clicking and dragging it to a new location.

If you need to adjust the placement of the bubble more precisely, you can use the arrow keys on your keyboard to nudge the bubble into the desired position.

Adding Speech Bubble to Your Design

Here are the steps to add a speech bubble to your design:

Step 6: Drag and Drop Speech Bubble

The first step to adding a speech bubble to your design is to drag and drop the speech bubble element onto your canvas. To do this, click on the “Elements” tab on the left-hand side of the screen. Next, select “Shapes” and then choose “Bubbles”. From here, you can select the speech bubble shape that you want to use. Once you have selected your speech bubble, simply drag and drop it onto your canvas.

Step 7: Place Speech Bubble in Your Design

Once you have added the speech bubble to your canvas, you can place it wherever you want in your design. To move the speech bubble, simply click on it and drag it to the desired location. You can also resize the speech bubble by clicking on the corner of the element and dragging it to the desired size. If you want to add text to your speech bubble, simply click on the text box and enter your desired text.

Adding a speech bubble to your design is a simple process that can help to elevate your design and make it more engaging for your audience. By following these simple steps, you can add a speech bubble to your Canva design in no time.

Adding speech bubbles to your designs in Canva is a simple and fun way to make your photos and graphics more engaging. With the wide range of customization options and pre-made templates available, you can create exactly the look that you’re after, whether it’s for an important message or just for fun.

I hope you found this guide covering how to easily add a speech bubble in Canva, useful! Be sure to check out our blog for more article covering the essential tips, tricks, and advice for Canva! Also, if you haven’t already tried CanvaPro, you can try it for free for 30 days !

Color of speech bubble

Is there a way to change the color of a speech bubble

That's not possible, without JS.

(enable js first)

try snap 10 library fancy text

whats snap 10

The latest experimental version of Snap ! Snap! Build Your Own Blocks

Redirecting to Snap! is the link to the snap! 10 dev, which has many new features, very big update, many new libraries and a SKEW block in the looks category.

Chris Pan, Ohio State grads learned hard way that commencement address words matter

• Commencement speeches are hard, but speakers are responsible for their words.
• Smart phones are a threat to education but not the only one.
• It's important to talk about mental health and to take care of our own mental health.

Commencement words matter

Re "Pan wants to set the record straight," May 14: As a teacher of public speaking at the college level, I am sympathetic to the Dispatch article about Ohio State University alumnus and commencement speaker, Chris Pan.

On the one hand, commencement speeches are strangely hard , something recently recounted with characteristic insight by the eminent historian Drew Gilpin Faust. And let’s face it: getting booed by 70,000 people isn’t something anyone would call life affirming.

On the other hand, there was something petulantly, tiringly earnest in Pan’s reflections. Speakers are responsible for their words. If work-shopping ideas with students, parents and social media communities prior to delivery lands inbounds for the conventions of speech preparation, Pan, finally, is the author, advocate and representative (in the Emersonian sense) of what he says.

Harrison Butker's ugly speach ugly. Chief's kicker only part of a bigger problem.

OSU speaker: Chris Pan wants to set the record straight about his Ohio State commencement speech

Ours is an era in which too many rhetors (an old word that, at its best, signifies those invested in the weight and worth of giving ideas their richest expressions towards civic, moral, and just ends) fall over themselves to give voice to self-serving, self-promoting, self-satisfying bubbles of bilious pap.

The graduates who were frustrated by the speech and the speaker perhaps learned their lessons well. Words matter. We deserve, and should expect, better.   

Jeff Kurtz, Newark

We see you, Mike DeWine

As a substitute teacher who works across many area districts, I can say with confidence that smart phones are definitely a huge threat to education.

What I find ironic is this is the same governor who signed off on a budget item (with no spending cap) that takes funds from public schools to help the wealthy pay tuition for their kids to attend private and religious schools.

You aren’t fooling anyone DeWine.

Susan D’Ooge Miller, Columbus

Sometimes it's OK not to be OK

It’s important to talk about mental health. There’s this big stigma around it, like it’s something to be ashamed of, but it’s just like any other illness.

We wouldn’t make fun of someone with a broken leg, so why do we make fun of someone with depression or anxiety or ADHD?

It’s not just about talking about it, though.

We also need to learn how to take care of our own mental health. Just like we exercise to keep our bodies healthy, we need to do things to keep our minds healthy too. That means taking breaks when we need them, talking to someone we trust when we’re feeling down, and being kind to ourselves and others.

Let’s work together to break the stigma and make sure everyone knows it’s okay to not be okay sometimes.

By promoting mental health awareness, we can help break down the barriers that prevent people from getting the support they need. It’s important for schools, communities, and social media and the media to talk openly about mental health and to provide resources for those who are struggling.

Together, people can create a more compassionate and supportive environment for everyone, regardless of their mental health status.

Emily Frey, Hilliard

The Key Points at the top of this article were created with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and reviewed by a journalist before publication. No other parts of the article were generated using AI. Learn more .

Advertisement

How Media Outlets Are Covering Justice Merchan in Trump’s Criminal Trial

• Share full article

By Santul Nerkar

This article is part of Media Bubbles , a regular feature focusing on how different news and opinion outlets are covering the presidential election.

Conservative media has been preoccupied for weeks with Justice Juan M. Merchan, the New York judge presiding over the Manhattan criminal trial against former President Donald J. Trump.

Mr. Trump has long attacked Justice Merchan and his family in social media posts and on his campaign website. But Justice Merchan did not earn a starring role in conservative media until after he issued a formal gag order against the former president, forbidding attacks against various people involved in the trial, including jurors and witnesses.

Since then, right-wing commentators, most prominently on Fox News, have condemned the judge nearly daily in their coverage of the trial. They have painted Justice Merchan’s rulings as biased, decried small donations he made to Democrats in 2020 and suggested that his connection to his daughter, a Democratic political consultant, made him unfit to oversee the case.

Liberal outlets have focused less on Justice Merchan, instead centering their coverage of the trial on the charges against Mr. Trump and the figures in his orbit. But some smaller outlets have praised Justice Merchan for clamping down on Mr. Trump.

Here’s how it has played out:

FROM THE RIGHT

In addition to covering the trial as straight news, Breitbart has devoted significant attention to what Republicans see as Justice Merchan’s pro-Democratic bias.

Justice Merchan donated $35 to groups that supported Democrats during the 2020 election, including $10 to a group called “Stop Republicans.” That, along with his daughter’s role as a consultant for Democratic candidates, has prompted Mr. Trump to call on the judge to recuse himself. (A state ethics panel last year dismissed a complaint against Justice Merchan with a warning over his donations. Justice Merchan has denied any wrongdoing.)

Matthew Whitaker, a former acting attorney general under Mr. Trump, wrote for Breitbart on April 23 that Justice Merchan should recuse himself so “we can put the blindfold back on Lady Justice.” He added that Justice Merchan was “profiting handsomely” from the trial because of his daughter’s work on the campaigns of prominent Democrats.

Jesse Binnal, a lawyer for Mr. Trump, misleadingly described Justice Merchan as “a Biden donor” on an April 16 episode of Breitbart News Daily, the site’s political podcast. He also misleadingly claimed that the judge had a “vested financial interest” in the case.

“How can a judge be a donor?” asked Mike Slater, the host of Breitbart’s podcast. “Seriously, how is that allowed?”

The Washington Times

Deroy Murdock, a conservative commentator, took a similar tack when he wrote for The Washington Times on April 29. Justice Merchan, he said, “belongs in the Conflicted Jurist Hall of Fame.” His daughter’s political work and even small donations, Mr. Murdock wrote, were evidence of bias that Democrats would find unacceptable if Hillary Clinton were on trial.

“Imagine her judge donated $15 to Mr. Trump in 2016 and $10 each to the Conservative Turnout Project and Stop Democrats,” Mr. Murdock wrote.

Cheryl Chumley, an editor and opinion writer for The Washington Times, wrote on May 1 that Justice Merchan had fined Mr. Trump for “exercising his God-given, constitutionally protected free speech rights.”

FROM THE LEFT

Meidastouch.

Michael Popok, a lawyer and host of a podcast from MeidasTouch, a liberal media network, said that Judge Merchan could have been harder on Mr. Trump.

“The only reason Donald Trump isn’t cooling his heels on Rikers Island while the trial is going on, and gets to sleep every night at Trump Tower, is because Judge Merchan allowed it,” Mr. Popok said in a YouTube video on April 16.

On March 26, when Judge Merchan issued a gag order that barred the former president from attacking witnesses, prosecutors and jurors, he “let Trump know right away that his tolerance for foolishness is at an end,” wrote Mr. Filipowski, a lawyer and the editor in chief of MeidasTouch.

Walter Einenkel, a writer for the progressive news site, wrote in Justice Merchan’s defense on May 13. The judge, Mr. Einenkel argued, was not “conflicted” as conservatives said because he had been appointed to his job by a judge who had been appointed by a Republican.

After Mr. Trump said he was “not allowed to testify” because of the gag order against him, Mr. Merchan said the order did not prevent him from testifying. On May 3, the writer Mark Sumner lauded the judge’s response to Mr. Trump.

“The idea that Trump isn’t allowed to testify is a ridiculous reading of Merchan’s order,” Mr. Sumner wrote , with a headline that called Mr. Trump’s claims an “absurd lie.”

Santul Nerkar is a reporter covering business and sports. More about Santul Nerkar

Our Coverage of the Trump Hush-Money Trial

News and Analysis

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