According to Trump, you can thank Darth Vader for all the budget cuts, no really

President Donald Trump delivered one of his most bizarre speeches yet this week, standing in the newly paved Rose Garden and actually thanking his Office of Management and Budget Director, Russ Vought, by bizarrely nicknaming him “Darth Vader.” The event was originally meant to address the ongoing government shutdown, a serious topic that affects countless people, but as is often the case, it didn’t stay on topic, but Star Wars is so far off topic.

It quickly veered into a rambling, 42-minute monologue about construction noise, Democrats, and of course, Star Wars villains. Around 35 minutes into his remarks, Trump spotted Vought in the crowd of Republican senators and launched into an entirely unexpected tangent. He didn’t just mention the fictional Sith Lord; he literally had the man stand up and acknowledge his new moniker.

“I will say this, that we have Darth Vader. You know Darth Vader, right? Darth Vader is a man who, I think, is sitting right… Is that Darth? Stand up, please,” Trump said to the audience. He wasn’t talking about the classic villain voiced by the late James Earl Jones; he was giving a huge, public shout-out to his conservative budget chief for his aggressive slashing of government spending and his role in the budget crisis.

Trump wants to be Palpatine

So, why the villainous nickname? It all comes down to money and power, as you can probably expect. Trump was full of praise for Vought’s work in overseeing deep cuts to Democratic-led programs, bragging that “He’s cutting Democrat priorities, and they’re never going to get them back.” He added that Democrats have “caused this, and they’ve really allowed us to do it,” essentially letting the budget cuts happen by creating the shutdown situation.

Trump went on to call his new “Darth Vader” a “good man” who was “doing a really great job” as he boasted about defunding key projects. It’s highly doubtful this deceased Star Wars actor would appreciate that. He specifically mentioned the $20 billion Gateway Tunnel project in New York as one of the things Democrats are “losing,” calling such projects the “things that are just so bad for our country.” You’ve got to admit, it’s a wild move to openly praise someone for acting as a budget executioner using a Star Wars villain as the comparison.

It’s a line of reasoning that’s weird to hear, especially when you consider that Darth Vader serves Emperor Palpatine and is responsible for building and maintaining the terrifying power of the Galactic Empire. The symbolism here is just something you can’t overlook, and it led to others pointing out the irony that every time the Trump family has referenced Star Wars, they’ve unintentionally portrayed their administration as agents of the Dark Side.