Donald Trump’s Inauguration Speech Was Totally Lifted From ‘Dark Knight’ Villain Bane
At some point we’re all going to have to stop asking, “Is this real life?! Is this really happening right now?!” The daily proliferation of surreal news headlines will never feel normal (nor should they), but it’s the frequency our country is operating at now, and it will likely continue at this pitch for the next four years, which officially kicked off today. In the latest episode of The Surreal Life, Donald Trump basically plagiarized Bane, Tom Hardy’s mush-mouthed villain from The Dark Knight Rises, in his inauguration speech.
The Slot has a quick side-by-side comparison video which shows Trump quoting Bane, verbatim, at his inauguration, and it’s…is there a word for it? I don’t know. You can view the video on their site.
Here’s the pertinent segment of Trump’s speech:
Today’s ceremony, however has very special meaning. Because 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. For too long a small group in our nation’s capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have born the cost. Washington flourished but the people did not share in its wealth. Politicians prospered but the jobs left and the factories closed. The establishment protected itself but not the citizens of our country. Their victories have not been your victories. Their triumphs have not been your triumphs and while they celebrated in our nation’s capital, there was little to celebrate for struggling families all across our land. That all changes starting right here and right now because this moment is your moment. It belongs to you.
And here’s Bane’s speech, for comparison:
We take Gotham from the corrupt! The rich! The oppressors of generations who have kept you down with myths of opportunity, and we give it back to you... the people. Gotham is yours. None shall interfere. Do as you please. Start by storming Blackgate, and freeing the oppressed! Step forward those who would serve. For an army will be raised. The powerful will be ripped from their decadent nests, and cast out into the cold world that we know and endure. Courts will be convened. Spoils will be enjoyed. Blood will be shed. The police will survive, as they learn to serve true justice. This great city... it will endure. Gotham will survive!
The two speeches only share one exact line in common, so it’s not entirely plagiarism, but the tone and theme of both are essentially the same. And it’s not the first time people have drawn comparisons between the new president and Christopher Nolan’s Batman villain — search YouTube and you’ll find several videos comparing the two.
This comes on the heels of Trump’s recent attempt to trademark his 2020 campaign slogan, “Keep America Great,” which is (hilariously? horrifically?) the exact tagline for The Purge: Election Year; his slogan is literally from a horror movie that envisions a dystopian near-future in which far-right conservatives have become violent zealots.
So anyway, this all seems pretty chill.