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12 TV Shows And Movies That Predicted The Rise Of Donald Trump

We were warned.

Many American and global citizens alike were shocked when Donald Trump was elected president of the United States in 2016. Now, as most of the country is quarantining, Trump's presidency is being dissected even more. According to Hollywood, however, this was all in the cards. Movies and television shows, whether satirical or dramatic, have been telling this narrative for years. From Scandal to The Purge, take a look at the extensive evidence below.

  1. Scandal

    Scandal proved to be ahead of its time when character Hollis Doyle rose to political power by using racist and divisive rhetoric to gain support in middle America. Many argue that is how Trump rose to power.

  2. Mr. Robot

    USA Network's groundbreaking show seemed to know the truth about the 2016 election before any of us did, as seen in this scene when the line, "Politics is for puppets," perfectly predicted what many of Trump's opponents say about his relationship with Russia.

  3. Black Mirror

    Black Mirror forces its viewers to look at the dystopian future that may await us. In one episode, titled "The Waldo Moment," an offensive, potty-mouthed cartoon captures the hearts of millions and is asked to run for office. It has scary similarities to the way Trump was able to gain massive exposure early on in his campaign by creating ridiculous and often offensive sound-bites for news stations.

  4. The Dark Knight Rises

    During Trump's inaugural address viewers were shocked to see that he accidentally quoted the Batman villain Bane when he said, "Today, we are not merely transferring power from one administration to another or from one party to another — but we are transferring power from Washington, D.C., and giving it back to you, the people." How is that for a predictation?

  5. Idiocracy

    Terry Crews played President Camacho in the comedy Idiocracy, in which a president with a dangerously low IQ was put into the White House because everyone in the United States had become dumber. Sound familar?

  6. The Daily Show

    Trevor Noah and The Daily Show were able to encapsulate why Trump was a perfect presidential option for Republican voters, saying, "The more you look at it, the more it feels like Trump and the Republicans are in one of those romantic comedies where they still don't realize they're the perfect match for each other."

  7. Real Time With Bill Maher

    Michael Moore, the famed documentary filmmaker, warned Americans of Trump's potential victory for months. He joined Bill Maher and said, "People are in denial about this but I think the chance of him winning is really, really good." In the same episode, one of Trump's past ghostwriters Tony Schwartz blamed Fox News for introducing "this whole concept of 'truthiness' and Donald Trump is now the epitome of it," perfectly predicting the Trump administration's commitment to claiming fake news and creating alternative facts.

  8. House of Cards

    In an eerie promo for their fifth season, the now ended political series House of Cards showed an upside down flag flapping in front of D.C.'s Capitol Building. That sentiment is being felt by many Americans now, though anything that happens on TV will likely be less shocking than what is going on in Washington currently.

  9. Homeland

    Homeland's sixth season featured a dramatic transfer of power that leaves the country scrambling and exposed to enemy attacks. That hits close to home as many security officials warned that Trump's Muslim ban only empowered terrorist organizations such as ISIS.

  10. The Simpsons

    The Simpsons has been around for a while thanks to its ability to have its finger on the pulse of America. It appears that they saw something we did not when they predicted a Trump presidency over a decade ago.

  11. 1984

    One of the most important books of the last century predicted a future of total government control, reaching as far as outlawing freedom of thought. Many fear that Trump's attempt to discredit mainstream media is the first step to his eventual goal of being the only purveyor of truth.

  12. The Purge: Election Year

    The horror franchise remixed Trump's slogan "Make American Great Again" to "Keep America Great" for the trailer for The Purge: Election Year. Sadly, who would guess a problematic slogan would help Donald Trump win.

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