Game of Thrones is making America great again; now if only Trump would stay out of it
- Yonden Lhatoo hails HBO’s hit television show as a shining testament to American talent, but wishes President Donald Trump would not ruin the enjoyment with his clumsy attempts to appropriate it for political gain
You know what’s really making America great again these days? Game of Thrones.
The world’s best show on television, for all its English/Irish/Scottish accents and made-up languages, is a shining example of the United States’ great global exports, created by some of the best minds and talent in the business.
I felt all warm and fuzzy towards America when the final season premiered this week, the unfamiliar sensation stemming from the conviction that any country offering this level of entertainment should get credit where it’s due for greatness.
One problem, though: is it really necessary for US President Donald Trump to ruin it by thrusting himself into the picture?
Game of Thrones is currently the ultimate escape, the definitive distraction, from reality and the daily cycle of depressing news, mostly about Trump and the toxic, partisan debate as to whether he’s a great or horrible leader.
But no, you can’t escape from the Donald even while lost deep in the seven kingdoms of Westeros, caught up in the skulduggery of iron throne politics or stressing over who will survive the onslaught of the zombie army heading south of the wall.
Just after America’s top law enforcer, William Barr, released special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russian collusion investigation report, King Donald tweeted a Game of Thrones meme featuring himself – of course – and the message “Game Over” to “the haters and the radical left Democrats”.
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Really, Your Grace/Mr President? Everything else is all about you already. Now this, too?
Trump’s attempt at cultural appropriation – they say he hasn’t watched the show or read the books, which makes him an unworthy infidel – earned him a polite rebuke from the HBO network.
“Though we can understand the enthusiasm for Game of Thrones now that the final season has arrived, we still prefer our intellectual property not be used for political purposes,” HBO said.
Trump has tried to jump on this bandwagon before. In January he posted an image of himself on Instagram accompanied by the words “The Wall Is Coming”, referencing the presciently fatalistic slogan of House Stark, “Winter Is Coming”.
And a couple of months before that, he tweeted a similar meme declaring “Sanctions Are Coming” (against Iran), which prompted HBO to fire back: “How do you say trademark misuse in Dothraki?”
Appropriating pop-culture references to score political points is one thing, but regurgitating them in the wrong context to promote international policy moves on a presidential level is another.
Game of Thrones is a tad more complex than Disney’s Frozen, and usurping the “Winter Is Coming” line to announce sanctions against Iran or taunt critics of the Mexico border wall plan can make Trump look downright clueless and silly.
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He should also be aware, in his eagerness to be included in the Game of Thrones conversation, that he is often compared with some of the show’s most loathsome characters – in particular the Night King, the overarching villain of the series, who is hell bent on laying waste to Westeros with his undead army. That’s what “Winter Is Coming” is all about.
Actor Kit Harington, who plays lost prince and fan favourite Jon Snow, has likened the president to Joffrey, the odious boy-king everyone loves to hate. The same comparison has been made by George R. R. Martin, author of the book series, A Song of Ice and Fire, upon which Game of Thrones is based.
The reaction that summed it up for most fans came from Sophie Turner when Trump tweeted the “Sanctions Are Coming” meme. The British actress who plays the beautiful Sansa Stark, probably the most abused yet resilient character in the story, sent out a one-word tweet in response: “Ew.”
That’s right, ew, find something else to spoil.
Yonden Lhatoo is the chief news editor at the Post
