It doesn’t happen very often that we hear of a presidential candidate’s wife break down in tears in despair after he wins. If the accounts detailed in Michael Wolff’s book “Fire and Fury” are correct, this is exactly what happened to Donald Trump’s wife Melania.
While for many people Donald Trump’s victory represents little more than the power of pandering to the lowest common denominator simply to get ahead, few can deny that the 2016 presidential elections and many other parts of Donald Trump’s life would not make a great movie.
Despite making his fortune primarily in the real estate market Trump has not been shy about appearing in front of the camera. He has appeared, albeit as ‘himself’, in 13 feature films since 1989 as well as doing 18 cameo appearances in various TV shows.
He has also been featured in a number of unauthorized films and documentaries including Michael Moore in TrumpLand and A Dangerous Game. While arguments continue over Donald Trump’s mental abilities and even his sanity persist, it is an unarguable fact that Trump understands the power of media.
With the claim to fame of being one of The United States’ most successful property magnets, having been a well-known celebrity since the 1980’s, having become the 45th President of the United States, as well as been accused of being part of numerous affairs and business scandals, it seems logical to assume that one day soon we will all be watching Donald Trump The Movie.
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What could we expect from Donald Trump: The Movie?
The most fundamental issue to making a movie that isn’t entirely flattering to Trump is that he is likely to sue the producers before it even gets made. Trump has a history of using his expensive legal team to sue competitors and those he has disagreements with. He has spent so much time in court that Wikipedia even has a page dedicated to the “legal affairs of Donald Trump”.
It is certain that any film that intends to paint a realistic picture of the 45th president is going to have to be entirely independent of Trump and any studio that has close links with him. This could be complicated given his current position as President of the United States. Few studios are likely to want to risk a war with him while he is in office so we might have to wait until after he departs.
Assuming a studio was able to make a film without any interference from Trump, what could it be about? Well, for those Johnny Depp fans out there, you might have heard of a TV movie Depp made in 2016 called Donald Trump’s The Art of the Deal: The Movie. The film was loosely based on Trump’s book by the same name and is a mockumentary.
The film follows one of the two main avenues that have so far been used to portray Trump in film. It chooses to paint Trump in a rather humorous light where he is seen as a rather pathetic egomaniac who has somehow succeeded in making it big. The other portrayal, not including his cameos, of course, is recurrent in the documentaries that focus on parts of his business empire or presidential campaign. In these documentaries, Trump is shown to be a ruthless manipulator who uses division, intimidation, and even his celebrity to do as he pleases.
Any movie that aims to really capture the essence of Trump will need to really nail the many faces of Donald Trump in one portrayal. While aspects of his behavior are laughable, many of which are the basis of Alec Baldwin’s much loved SNL impersonation, it is important to remember that this is neither Trump’s intention, nor indeed the effect that his actions have on many of the people who are affected by them.
The 3 Chapters of Donald Trump Movie
Chapter 1: The Rise to Power
Anyone who watched the recent presidential campaign will certainly have heard Trump denying the accusation that his success was a result of being born into a wealthy real estate family. He insists he built his empire from a “small, $1 million loan given to him by his father”.
Whether or not this is true, audiences since those of ancient Greece have shown they love a good rise to power story. Everyone from Charles Lindberg to Mark Zuckerberg has had a film made exactly on this premise.
Trump’s rise to power could focus on his early real estate deals including his negotiations to develop Trump Tower in Manhattan. Aside from showing Trump’s flair for business, this chapter could also deal with his discrimination against African American tenants and other less reputable parts of his history.
Chapter 2: The Affairs
While this topic is certain to send Trump’s lawyers running to court in a hurry, it is also the most interesting one in many ways. Since Trump entered office there has been a deluge of accusations regarding extramarital affairs that even make the legendary philanderer JFK look like a boy scout.
Allegations that Russia secretly videotaped him watching call girls perform ‘golden showers’ in order to blackmail him are just one of the many that came out. Another, more recent, allegation claims he was sleeping with the porn star Stormy Daniels just days after his wife Melina had given birth to their child. Any of these affairs, and how he kept them secret for so long, would definitely make a great movie.
Chapter 3: The Presidential Election
The 2016 presidential election was anything but conventional. The Trump factor led it to become one of the most entertaining pieces of television for the whole year. Despite also being a divisive and hate-filled campaign, which saw Trump supporters punching rivals in the face and Trump himself repeatedly offend minorities, it was undeniably great theatre.
The chapter could focus on what exactly was going on behind the scenes to give us all insight as to whether Trump’s approach was a masterpiece of media manipulation or just a result of his own ignorant views.
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