When I was in Walt Disney World earlier this year, the Hall of Presidents in Liberty Square in the Magic Kingdom was being updated to include a new animatronic Donald Trump. The event was closed for the update and I wondered how everything would turn out.
Donald Trump rarely says things that inspire us. More often, he is inarticulate and boastful. He routinely says things that divide Americans and sound petty, at best. In my mind, seeing that the hall was closed for the addition of his representation, I had to ask myself what they were going to have him say. Obviously, Disney would have to put the best possible face on the current President of the United States. But could even the best imaginations in the world pull off such a feat?
It turns out I need not have worried. Even faced with animating a president with such a dearth of good material, the fine folks at Disney have given us something presidential. In fact, the animatronic version of the 45th president comes off as a much better version of the man. It kind of makes you wonder how things would be different if reality imitated art. What would it look like if Donald Trump had become more presidential, as he took office, like his supporters hoped he would?
