After a year of anticipation, rumors circulating among Disney junkies, and calls for the attraction to change its rules regarding the new leader, Walt Disney World’s Hall of Presidents has finally re-opened with a new speaker: robotic President Trump.
Yes, there were all sorts of stories on how the new commander-in-chief would either not be added to the exhibit, or not have a speaking role because of the 2016 campaign’s divisive nature. Nevertheless, Disney and the White House persisted in Trump’s voice recording, and after an extended renovation of the sound system and display, the president took center stage reading a very Trumpian speech:
From the beginning, America has been a nation defined by its people. At our founding, it was the American people who rose up to defend our freedoms and win our independence. It was why our founders began our great constitution with three very simple words: we the people. Since that moment, each generation of Americans has taken its place in the defense of our freedom, our flag, and our nation under God.
These are the achievements of the American spirit — the spirit of a people who fought and died to bring the blessings of liberty to all our people. Above all, to be an American is to be an optimist, to believe that we can always do better and that the best days of our great nation are still ahead of us. It’s a privilege to serve as the president of the United States, to stand here among so many great leaders of our past, and to work on behalf of the American people.
This is a highly polished version of many of the sentiments echoed at Trump’s favorite rallies in front of the red-hatted. It reflects elements of Make America Great Again in “nation defined by its people”, “our freedom, our flag” (would be funny to see Kaepernick jerseys in the Hall during that line), and “best days of our nation are still ahead of us.”
For all the rumors about Disney CEO Bob Iger possibly running for president in 2020, and Disney-owned ESPN catering to left-wing social justice, when it came down to a celebration of the presidency, Trump was allowed to be Trump, and sounded and looked quite presidential next to George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
Neil Dwyer is a graduate of the University of Miami, a political and sports broadcaster, and a freelancer writer.
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