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100 days of Trump: The Simpsons take stock

Petra Lambeck als
April 28, 2017

Years ago, The Simpsons predicted the future: Donald Trump would become US President. The idea seemed absurd at the time, but now that man has been in that very office for the past 100 days. The Simpsons noted the irony.

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Facebook Simpsons clip on Trump (Photo: Facebook/The Simpsons)
Image: Facebook/The Simpsons

"Being right sucks" Bart Simpson wrote on his infamous school chalkboard in November 2016. That was part of the introduction to a "The Simpsons" episode shortly after last year's US presidential election. It's a reference to a Simpsons episode from the year 2000 entitled "Bart to the Future," in which Bart dreamed that Donald Trump would one day become president - and drive the country into bankruptcy.

Gloomy review

On the occasion of Donald Trump's first 100 days in office, The Simpsons have released a new clip which went viral with nearly three million clicks within the first 12 hours on Facebook alone. What viewers see is a complacent President Trump sitting in his bed on a dark, stormy night, while his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and his Chief Strategist Steve Bannon choke each other and White House press secretary Sean Spicer has hanged himself.

Trump, on the other hand, is quite happy with his results: a better handicap in golf, and more Twitter followers. Also, Americans are now permitted to shoot hibernating bears.

Meanwhile, Marge and Homer Simpson are sitting at home in front of the television, watching as Trump's daughter Ivanka replaces Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court while also promoting her robe and jewelry accessories. Marge just can't take it anymore, popping one Prozac after another until the bottle is empty - a bottle that was supposed to last her the whole four years. In the throes of it all, Grandpa Simpson is carted off in the background. He should go back to where he came from, only, he doesn't know where that is anymore.

"A Warning to America"

In an interview with "Hollywood Reporter" last year, Dan Greaney, author of the episode "Bart to the Future," said the idea of showing Trump as President who runs the country into the ground was supposed to be a warning, sparked by the fear that America could "turn crazy." This came after Trump had presented himself in 1999 for nomination as candidate of the Reform Party.

The Simpsons also made their political views quite clear last year during the presidential election campaign. An August 2016 clip shows Marge and Homer Simpson discussing who they should vote for: Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. The choice was clear: Marge would vote for the Democrats. When Homer hesitantly says he'll vote for Trump, Marge makes it clear that that's not an option. And so becomes Homer a Democrat.