A Game of Trumps

The presidential race is coming…. So what does Donald Trump have in common with Game of Thrones characters?

Following the death of *spoiler alert* one of my favourite characters in Game of Thrones, and with several months until the new series, the only solution I had was to rewatch the series and start to read the books in an attempt to reassure myself that this death, as many fans are still convinced of, was somehow reversible. One thing I’m sure of is, nobody likes Oli; “for the watch” a constant reminder of the brutality and the pain of betrayal. Somehow, the betrayal, felt even worse than the infamous red wedding – the latter a result of an almost selfish decision to pursue true love, the former based on a decision to protect people who were threatened by a great evil; people perceived as equals in Jon’s eyes despite historic quarrels between them. Allowing them to seek refuge beyond the wall, sadly, led to his undoing.

Yet despite the shocking end, the reasons behind the betrayal were in reality a long time coming. Jon Snow had made himself few allies over the years, and even those who were most loyal to him, and those who had witnessed his heroic actions first hand were made uncomfortable by his relationship with the historic ‘enemy’ found in the wildlings: a foreign force that seemingly posed a threat to ‘civilised’ values. It is a classic tale of historic hatreds acting as an overarching force over reason. Despite the looming threat of the white walkers, nobody wants to believe in their existence, because to accept the existence of such a threat, is to accept that actions should be taken against them. Instead, those who may have the resources to do anything about it, continue on a dangerous path, playing the same games to gain power.

Now, this being a current affairs blog after all, I should perhaps outline why I have begun with such a rant about a fictional character on a popular, entertaining, yet ultimately unimportant in the grand scheme of things, TV show. Firstly, popular culture has a unique way to make us think about complex themes, without realising that we are thinking about them. We find such fictional interaction so satisfying because it not only offers us a temporary escape, but it also allows us to relate to the characters and their actions, even in such a distant and unrecognisable world. The connections made with various themes and historical events make watching all the more intriguing. In Game of Thrones, people have already sought to compare the approach of the White Walkers to climate change.

Secondly, while watching the show it becomes surprisingly easy to notice the odd traits from characters that seem to reflect particular people in the real world. All fans will be able to identify their most hated and loved characters and perhaps compare them to someone from history or even the present. For this instance one person stands out in particular: Donald Trump; a man that has gained a large deal of attention despite his controversial views and offensive rhetoric, leading many to question (or doubt) that “surely no one like Donald Trump could become the next president of the United States”. I’ll leave the decision of whether he would be a villain or hero in a Game of Thrones world up to the reader…

Having a look at the quotes below it’s clear to see that their origin is not so easy to pinpoint. So, now we can turn to a classic game of ‘who said it’: Donald Trump or an infamous character in Game of Thrones (see the bottom of the article for the answers):

1. Information is key. You need to learn your enemy’s strengths and strategies.

2. Conquerors always meet with resistance

3. They’re rapists and some I assume are good people

4. Under my reign you won’t be punished for such nonsense. You can rest assured of that.

5. Death is coming for everyone and everything.

6. Men win wars not magic tricks.

7. The point is, you can never be too greedy.

8. I have a great relationship with the blacks. I’ve always had a great relationship with the blacks.

9. I can’t stand the wailing of women

10. [Women] are far worse than men, far more aggressive and boy can they be smart.

11. I’ve said if [she] weren’t my daughter, perhaps I’d be dating her

12. That’s what intelligent women do. What they’re told.

13. I will build a great wall.

14. The beauty of me is that I’m very rich.

15. Show too much kindness, people won’t fear you.

16. He’s not a war hero. He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.

17. You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes. Blood coming out of her wherever.

18. A lion doesn’t concern himself with the opinions of sheep.

19. A nation without borders is not a nation at all. We must have a wall.

20. Money was never a big motivation, except as a way to keep score. The real excitement is playing the game.

21. Kill them; kill them all.

22. Anyone who thinks my story is anywhere near over is sadly mistaken.

For anyone well versed in Game of Thrones, or indeed Donald Trump speeches, some of the answers may admittedly jump out, but some similarities between the two worlds certainly strike a chord. Although initially in jest, truly thinking about the implications of this becomes worrying, as certain phrases being uttered by Donald Trump can only be met with disbelief. Yet even more worrying is that he continues to rally support, with some polls indicating he is a favoured candidate amongst the Republican hopefuls. Whether he genuinely believes his own views, many of which are contradicting or conflicting with previous statements he has made (as Stephen Colbert demonstrated recently), or whether he sees the presidential race as a game to grab more power is difficult to tell. What is clear however, is that his comments are regularly racist, misogynist, and ignorant; similar traits that seem to hold true for many Game of Thrones characters.

So, as with any pop culture, themes within the fictional world of Westeros act to represent those within our own; whether they are deep-seated fears about our own state of society, our belief in a greater good in the world, our musings on human nature or simply our feelings about love and friendship. In Game of Thrones, themes of conflict and human nature regularly seem to hit home, as do the recognisable character traits that we can link with people in real life. All I’m sure render avid discussion amongst its huge fanbase; I for one have spent several hours discussing moral dilemmas and questionable outcomes for heroes and villains alike, in a drama that is known for its lack of happy endings and its frightening parallels with reality. The various powerplays and regular acts of evil and deceit act as a reminder that human nature can be truly brutal.

So if anyone in the Game of Thrones world had some advice for Donald Trump what would it be? Perhaps we could take some wisdom from Tyrion Lannister, that “killing and politics aren’t always the same thing”. Or maybe his statement that “the powerful have always preyed on the powerless. That is how they became powerful in the first place” seems too true. Finally we could even turn to the Master of Whispers, Lord Varys for an apt analysis: “any fool with a bit of luck can find himself born into power. But earning it for yourself, that takes work”.