Countless entries into the wide world of entertainment offer opulent alternative futures, enticing possibilities that, if not for their fictional settings, could actually see this world improve immensely.
Instead of channeling a release like The West Wing to imagine what our country could be, however, presidential candidate and unabashed criminal Donald Trump is taking an alternate route. He’s imagining a far more horrific future for our nation, one that’s already been well-explored via a persistently popular horror franchise from filmmaker James DeMonaco.
The Purge franchise explores a dystopian American future in which the nation engages in a single 12-hour stretch of brazen crime in the pursuit of 364 days of peace. Each year, an event called the Purge decriminalizes all acts, including murder, for a half-day, and a series of six films details just how awful that decision would be.
Despite the proof baked into the pudding he’s gorging himself on, that detail seems to have flown straight over Trump’s oversized head, based on the 78-year-old’s latest policy push. Rather than engage his brain for a single second, the candidate instead has a proposal straight out of Hollywood to “fix” America’s issues, and it sounds awfully familiar to horror fans.
“One really violent day,” is apparently enough to solve all of America’s problems, according to Trump, who’s fully on board with enacting a nationwide purge of his own. It’s nothing new to see Trump take policy advice from television, but this is most definitely a strange direction to choose. The same man who recently promised to be the “protector” of women is now advocating for legalized murder, but only when pre-approved by the government.
Even as Trump weirdly advocates for the wanton murder of his own countrymen, his running mate is somehow still the less popular name on the ticket. JD Vance, unseasoned and uncooked chicken wing that he is, managed to maintain his status as America’s least-wanted politician, and even cinched a headline or two in the process. They’re not nearly as eye-catching as Trump’s purgey proposal, but Vance’s repeated failures when it comes to basic tasks — like ordering food or stopping for simple campaign meet and greets — continue to establish the 40-year-old as bafflingly inept.
Vance was planning to stop at a Pennsylvania Primanti Brothers location in late September, but when his plans hit a snag it became national news. Reports that the restaurant refused to serve Vance quickly began circulating, along with claims that he’d been forcibly ejected from the property.
Few of these reports are true, but that doesn’t matter much to those looking to paint Vance as a victim. In reality, Vance was denied entry to the North Versailles Primanti Brothers on Sept. 28, but largely due to a lack of planning. His team did not inform the restaurant ahead of time of their plan to host a campaign stop there, and as a result, the staff felt unprepared to undertake a major political event.
So, despite the supporters who gathered at the location to greet Vance, the candidate was ultimately turned away. He was not banned, or heartlessly tossed out, he was simply told that they could not accommodate him at that time. Even Vance himself has reinforced this narrative, informing reporters after the fact that Primanti’s is “a great local business,” and urging his followers to “keep supporting it.”
Despite the quickly-provided clarification, a number of Trump supporters are up in arms over the supposed rejection of Vance. Maybe it’s simply to distract from the news that their presidential candidate wants life to mimic art in the worst possible way, but reports of Vance’s “banning” from Primanti’s are entirely false. He’s still free to eat there — and even campaign there — but some advanced notice would be nice.
Published: Sep 30, 2024 02:02 pm