We’re guessing Donald Trump isn’t crying in his cereal bowl over the fact that “Late Night” show host Seth Meyers banned him from the show as a sign of solidarity with The Washington Post.
Despite the wave of attacks against him, Trump has only continued to rise in popularity.
It’s not the first pop culture shot that’s been taken at Trump — and it’s not the last that will be aimed his way.
In the latest attempt to crack Trump’s armor of popularity, the makers behind the 2006 cult comedy film, “Idiocracy,” plan to reunite to create anti-Donald Trump ads.
“Idiocracy” co-writer Etan Cohen, director Mike Judge, and actor Terry Crews are currently working on writing the videos. Crews will reportedly revisit his role of President Camacho from the film, a story about a dystopian future where people’s IQs have dramatically dropped. The satirical world is on the brink of extinction because nobody knows crops need water to grow or that they need to consume things other than energy drinks.
The comedy was a flop at the box office, but has earned a strong following on home video over the years and is currently enjoying a second life and promotional push, especially after Cohen tweeted in February: “I never expected #idiocracy to become a documentary.”
Retweeted over 3,800 times, Cohen’s message was meant as a harsh indictment of Trump and his vast number of supporters. Cohen saw a clear link between the exaggerated mob mentality of “Idiocracy,” where people follow a wrestler turned president who creates more problems than he fixes, and Trump’s supporters and presidential campaign.
Cohen told Buzzfeed recently that the seed of the idea for the future videos came from the original tweet and its popularity.
“The presidency is all about entertainment value. Then it [similarities between the film and the presidential race] started to get, as the year went on, weirdly specific. People pointing out things like, ‘Oh, Camacho was a wrestler and Trump was a wrestler’ … It’s like, the more things go on, the more it actually seems to be kind of merging in a very specific, eerie way.”
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Cohen continued by pointing out the important cultural weight he feels the videos will carry. “This is what satire is for … to be able to hold up a mirror and say, ‘This is crazy.’ ‘Idiocracy’ was like that, but this all of a sudden felt like a very immediate need for the true meaning of satire and what it can actually do.”
The “Idiocracy” creative team’s antics are just the latest attempt to “expose” Trump or to try and turn the pop culture tide against the inevitable Republican presidential nominee.
Academy Award nominee Johnny Depp teamed up with left-leaning comedy website Funny or Die to create a satirical adaptation of Donald Trump’s popular book, “The Art of the Deal.” Depp starred as the man himself and attempted to use his talents to portray the billionaire as a lewd buffoon with no real business skills. Despite much press, the 50-minute film did little to sway hearts and minds.
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“It’s not just about being a rich kid or anything like that. I approached Donald Trump as what you kind of see in him when you really watch him. There’s a pretense. There’s something created about him in the sense of bullydom. But what he is, I believe, is a brat,” said Depp to students at Arizona State University about his role in the film.
Even Academy Award winner Meryl Streep joined in on the satirical attacks. The longtime Hillary Clinton supporter recently dressed in drag as Trump for the Public Theater’s 2016 Gala fundraiser. She sang as the real estate mogul, mocking his gestures and attitude.
Other stars and artists have merely used their words to sling arrows Trump’s way, with George Clooney calling the man a “xenophobic fascist,” Miley Cyrus threatening to leave the country if Trump is elected, and comedian Louis C.K. comparing the presidential hopeful to Hitler.
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Despite the wave of attacks against him, Trump has only continued to rise in popularity. While politicians before him seemed to have careers that lived or died based on what pop culture and Hollywood thought about them, Trump has proven himself to be above it all. Responding with mostly radio silence to the clever and elaborate attacks, he only occasionally takes the time to give a headline worthy response like when he said of Clooney: “As far as George Clooney is concerned, let’s put it this way — he’s no Cary Grant.”
Trump has also proven himself to be a man who knows the media, a man who has long played in the arena of pop culture and media. He knows how to fend off attacks and how to get attention when he needs it.
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