(From last year.)
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, himself a former entertainer, has finally figured out Trump’s schtick.
I recently labeled Trump “America’s Hitler,” but I didn’t mean it to be taken literally. It’s a metaphor.
After all, Hitler wasn’t addicted to social media and didn’t have to deal with it. Trump is and does.
Trump as dictator is in many ways a laughable concept, although it’s not a funny one. His main accomplishment prior to his election was as a reality TV star — one who hired or fired people, seemingly on whim.
That role has translated perfectly to his governing style, which is primarily by whim. Or for that matter, U.S. foreign policy under Trump. It can change with the click of a finger.
But the presidency isn’t a TV show, no matter how much Trump tries to treat it as such.
And this is where this piece is going to take a weird turn. Take Marry Me, the 2022 film featuring an aging pop superstar, Jennifer Lopez, impulsively marrying a schlumpy math teacher, Owen Wilson, as a gimmick all on social media.
The film is not the first to explore the space between what’s real or not regarding love or fake marriages, but it does a good job at showing how under the right circumstances, a gimmick can over time become real in the age of social media, where everything in our lives seems like it can change with the click of a finger.
And that is my issue with Trump’s regime. It seems like a gimmick, a joke, but it’s not funny, and I am deeply afraid that it is becoming all too real. He may or may not be America’s Hitler, metaphorically speaking, but he’s most definitely some sort of a B-movie version, streaming on a platform near you.
HEADLINES:
In Confirming Blanche, Senators Endorse a Justice Dept. Under Trump’s Sway (NYT)
Trump’s top general is ‘looking for an off-ramp’ from Iran war as US military options remain limited, sources say (CNN)
Netanyahu Rejects Trump’s Plan to Disarm Hamas (NYT)
Iran says deal on Strait of Hormuz is close but is not enough to open the waterway (Reuters)
What Mitch McConnell Did (Atlantic)
The Government Shouldn’t Pick Winners and Losers in Media (Bulwark)
‘Communist losers’ and ‘Socialists’ (Reuters)
The cost of waiting on the biggest merger in Hollywood history (NBC)
Hunter Biden says Joe Biden’s cancer has spread further and is ‘very painful’ (CNBC)
Europe’s conflict over migration (Reuters)
U.S. Squeezes Cuba Even as It Searches for a New Regime Leader (NYT)
Why MAGA Is So Obsessed With Fauci (Atlantic)
How could New Mexico’s $567 million ruling change Meta? (Reuters)
What’s the next big thing in social media? Meet 22 top VCs placing bets. (BI)
How Elon Musk Is Re-Engineering the World (Reveal)
Ring Launches Streaming Service (Onion)
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