Dem
51
GOP
49
Here is the question we put before readers on April 20:
D.C. in Portland, OR, asks: Your mention of the Donald Trump aide with the wireless printer made me think of Brave Sir Robin of Holy Grail infamy whose daring—and not so daring—exploits are sung to him real-time by a page, as they gallop-hop their way through the forest.
So: If Trump had a theme song or tune that followed him around, what would it be?
And here some of the answers we got in response, starting with the single most popular answer:
J.G. in Linden, NJ: "Yakety Sax" (Benny Hill theme)
F.H. in Ithaca, NY: No question. Three Dog Night's "Liar."
D.E. in Lancaster, PA: The most obvious song jumped right out at me seconds after reading the question: "Mean Mr. Mustard" by the Beatles. This short song written by John Lennon has plenty of things that scream "Trump." Trump is certainly "mean" and there can be no denying that his skin color is similar to mustard that has been left out in the sun for over two weeks. In the lyrics, Mean Mr. Mustard is described as a skinflint, "Shaves in the dark, trying to save paper," which would be a scary practice if one shaves with a straight razor. Likewise, Trump is a notorious penny-pincher who often puts himself in danger and spends more money just to save a penny or two. Again to the lyrics, "Keeps a ten-bob note up his nose," mirrors how obsessed with money Trump is, as well as a being a possible dig at Trump's recreational habit. Well, at least at Junior's. But the true kicker for this being Trump's Theme Song is the line, "Always shouts out something obscene/Such a dirty old man." That bit of poetry could be engraved on Trump's tombstone. Do they engrave epithets on paupers' tombstones lying just outside the prison walls?
S.H. in Broken Arrow, OK: The answer just has to be "For The Love of Money" by The O'Jays. Yes, it's actually about how money is the root of all evil, but as it was the theme to the show that invaded our homes and/or made him a household name for its entire run; it leaves me to believe he either is ignorant of the meaning or doesn't care. Either way, it's tied to him and his brand.
J.S. in the Hague, Netherlands: "Commander in Chief." AI-generated, with the prompt "If Trump had a theme song or tune that followed him around, what would it be?"
T.L. in West Orange, NJ: My best option is the Eagles' "King of Hollywood." A wannabe-Hollywood power player who in the end "just [wasn't] big enough." Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" is certainly a valid contender as well, but I like "King of Hollywood" a bit more here.
D.S. in San Diego, CA: Obviously The Donald's theme song is "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits.
J.C. in Glens Falls, NY: Beck's "Loser." The obvious choice.
K.H. in Corning, NY: I could not think beyond this one song for the question. I stopped even trying. Here it is: "Sad Sad Alpha Man."
T.K. in Warsaw, IN: Without question, the answer is "Der Fuhrer's Face" by Spike Jones and the City Slickers.
D.V. in Columbus, OH: Easy choice for me, the song that Stewie Griffin plays while at his job that involves walking behind fat guys and playing the tuba.
M.S. in Sherman, TX: Village People, "Macho Macho Man."
M.F. in Burlington, ON, Canada: Denis Leary's "Asshole."
E.W. in Edmonton, AB, Canada: Is Donald Trump even capable of truly appreciating and loving music, or anything of beauty? I'll never know, but some music seems tailor-made for his brand of malice and chaos:
- "Entrance of the Gladiators" op. 68 by Julius Fučík
- "Frolic," (a.k.a. the theme from Curb Your Enthusiasm) by Luciano Michelini
My choices here reflect not the original intent of the pieces, of course, nor am I imagining these choices as what Trump himself might choose as his theme music. Rather, This is the music I feel people hear at the meta level when they hear about another idiotic or evil thing he's done. There's also a nice element of comeuppance and tomfoolery to these pieces.
When the inevitable Trump biopic comes out, I hope the scene depicting his inevitable fall (please let there be an inevitable fall) uses "Frolic." Preferably over the closing credits.
S.T. in Worcestershire, UK, England: Talking Heads, "The Democratic Circus." Fits a Trump rally perfectly.
J.L. in Lords Valley, PA: "Mr. Big Stuff" (Who Do You Think You Are?)
J.K. in Bremen, Germany: This song fits quite well, but the images are also quite fitting: "If I Were a Rich Man" (Donald Trump / Fiddler on the Roof song parody)
N.P. in Miami, FL: I believe the "Imperial March" from the Star Wars films comes to mind when thinking of Trump and is a fairly fitting theme song.
A.A. in South Orange, NJ: "Fortunate Son," by Creedence Clearwater Revival. The classic rock anthem about draft-dodgers, tax-dodgers, and false patriotism. Plus, the "rummage sale" part reminds me of the boxes of stolen documents scattered around Mar-a-Lago.
D.E. in San Diego, CA: The Dead Milkmen's "Moron."
E.W. in Skaneateles, NY: Napoleon XIV, "They're Coming To Take Me Away Ha-Haaa!"
Here is the question for next week:
M.M.M. in Oakland, CA, asks: My kids (18 and 17) are voting in California for the first time this year. It's really difficult to get them to sit down and engage, my 17-year-old basically is not interested at all.
I have explained that for much of history, the people were led by self-appointed leaders. America flipped that around to allow the people to decide the leaders. And in order for that to work, we have to decide again every few years. Voting is the people's power to decide who leads them.
I also suggested to skip an item of they have no knowledge of the item, and that returning an empty ballot is better than not turning one in at all.
What else would you tell my kids to understand the importance of voting to help compel them to vote?
Submit your answers to comments@electoral-vote.com, preferably with subject line "Poll Position"!