In a recent episode of “Tonight with John Oliver,” the host announces to his audience that he has discovered that Donald Trump’s original ancestral name is actually Drumpf. The television host begins by talking about how he is fairing in the polls, and to the surprise of many Mr. Trump appeared to being doing quite well. After showing various clips of people who support Trump for president, he continues to mock things Mr. Trump has said publicly. John Oliver then mentions that Trump has declined to come on his show numerous times, but John laughs because the host claims that Trump has never, not once, been invited to the John Oliver show. The host further confirms that Donald Trump is a liar by continuing to show clips and comments about the ludicrous things said by Mr. Trump.
“If only there were a magical way to uncouple that magical word from what he really is” says John Oliver, which leads to the moment he announces Trump’s ancestral name. John then says, “Drumpf is much less magical” as he laughs off the name with ongoing comments about the sounds the word “drumpf” makes. The host then asks the audience if they can picture meeting a man named Donald Drumpf, as he shows a bad picture of Trump, for president. He continues by asking “America to make Donald Drumpf again, #makedonalddrumpfagain,” while informing the audience that the show has filed paperwork to trademark the name Drumpf and owns the site donaldjdrumpf.com. He tells the audience that they could go on the site and download a Drumpfinator chrome extension that will switch the name Trump to Drumpf wherever it appears on the browser. Along with this software, there are hats sold on the site that say “Make Donald Drumpf Again,” which the show is selling at cost as to avoid making a profit to further irritate Trump. He finishes off the presentation with a lit up sign behind him that says Drumpf in bright lights.
Anyone living in the United States or who has access to any type of media should know that John Oliver has no sincere interest in trademarking the name or any of the other mockery he is making of Donald Trump. The entire fiasco is one hilarious joke to make jabs at Trump who is so full of himself that this is the perfect payback for a television host whose job it is to make jokes about public figures. One can only guess the ratings and attention the show has received from this practical joke that they have played on Trump. However, some may not find the satire in this piece too comical. Instead there are those people that find the whole situation offensive and have taken the Drumpf Campaign a bit too seriously.
John Oliver’s Piece as Xenophobic
A perfect example of an article that did not find humor in the John Oliver piece thinks that the television host has denigrated himself to the level of Trump’s level. According to an article titled “John Oliver’s ‘Donald Drumpf’ jokes play on the same ugly xenophobia Trump does. Beating Trump shouldn't mean joining him” is published by The Washington Post. Freelance writer, S.I. Rosenbaum did not find the piece as funny as a large majority of Americans. Instead Rosenbaum points out that Drumpf is actually a foreign German name and that mocking Trump with his ancestral name is petty and ineffective. “To imply, though, that Trump is some secret Drumpf, that he’s not actually just Trump is to deny the truth” (Rosenbaum, 2016). Perhaps this opinion is intended for the audience that is not familiar with shows like John Oliver’s satirical news show.
A Political Move against Trump
Another misconception that appeared to come up when examining how people responded to John Oliver’s mockery of Trump is that they assumed it was some political antic to diminish his position in the election. It is easy to see that this was not a favorable marketing campaign for Trump, but to think of the John Oliver’s show as trying to be manipulative in a profound way is to miss the satire. In an article written by Joseph Lyons, “Could John Oliver’s Donald Drumpf Segment do what Jeb Bush Couldn’t? Don’t Hold your Breath” the title alone insinuates that there is talk of the Drumpf campaign working to damage Trump’s position as a GOP front runner. To even have any dialogue about the comedic piece as anything but a silly entertainment segment is to miss the satire. One can assume that anyone who may have taken this piece as a serious attack against Trump’s position as a GOP front runner would be a Trump loyalist who does not want to hear anything negative about his or her chosen candidate.
Referring to Donald as Drumpf
One of the most amusing articles found while researching what people have said about the John Oliver Donald Drumpf satire piece, was an article that was not necessarily talking about the John Oliver shows mockery of Trump. Instead the article is covering a story about how an anti-Trump group is working to stop him from speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference. According to Barkoukis, “We write to respectfully request that Donald Drumpf be disinvited from speaking at CPAC 2016,” the anti-Trump group Make America Awesome writes in their petition, referencing the real estate mogul’s ancestral name, which was brought to light recently by comedian John Oliver.” The most ironic thing about this is that this group actually referred to Trump as Donald Drumpf in a message they were sending to the CPAC to discourage them from allowing Donald to partake in the event. What was intended to be a funny nickname is now being used in more serious context when referring to Donald Trump. In this article it is easy to see that the anti-Trump campaign is using this satire as ammo against Trump hoping to diminish his credibility with the American people.
It’s not Fair
The number of writers who published articles on the subject of Donald Drumpf while missing the satire seemed abundant. Another example of a report that seemed to miss the point of the John Oliver segment on Drumpf was published in The New York Times. The article titled, “Donald Drumpf: A Funny Label, but Is It Fair?” says volumes about people taking the satire out of context. There is no room for fair or unfair, it was just a comical piece created by an entertainer that was not meant to be so deeply dissected. Yet again, the title of The New York Times piece by Daniel Victor makes a statement about the misunderstanding that has taken place by the media and public based on their opinions of the piece. According to Victor, “Despite mistaken impressions, Mr. Trump and his recent relatives had nothing to do with the surname change.” Why are people taking this funny piece on Trump’s ancestral name so serious?
Analysis of Opinions
Over and over again people have taken the satirical piece on John Oliver’s Drumpf Campaign much too seriously when it was meant to be a funny segment on a show that is infamous for playing jokes on political figures. Any political or public figure is opening themselves up to being mocked by comedians and entertainers, so it makes no sense when people have responded with the type of critique and comments that they have done so except for missing the satire entirely. Perhaps this is one of things about satire pieces that make them appealing. When a story is manipulated for the sake of entertainment while using a hint of truth, the outcome appears to hit a nerve with a portion of the readers who can only see the literal aspect of a satirical piece. In a heated political environment like the one currently happening in the United States there are many groups and individuals who are unable to take satire’s like the Drumpf Campaign completely out of context to suit their own opinions and agenda’s.
Conclusion
The John Oliver satire on Donald Drumpf was an ideal example to run across. So many people seemed to have taken the satire out of context based on the perspective that they were viewing the segment with. In terms of the numerous misunderstanding that are present in this Drumpf Campaign piece, it is easy to see how a difference in opinions and views can alter one’s ability to acknowledge something as a funny or entertaining satire. For those who are Trump supporter or even anti-Trump, if the group or individual has an agenda for or against Trump, this satire was taken out of context. Not to say all viewers took it out of context, but the examples provided in the paper show evidence of the various ways that this satire was misconstrued. It is common in satire that a portion of the audience will not appreciate the humor or wittiness that is involved when one’s feelings are so heavily invested in the topic. Clearly those who missed the satire had their attention on something other than laughing at a funny segment on a television show that is designed to do exactly just that. In conclusion, satirical pieces are a brilliant way to engage the audience to gauge where they may stand in their views on life.
Works Cited
Barkoukis, Leah. "Anti-Trump Group to ACU: Disinvite Donald 'Drumpf' From CPAC."
Townhall.com. 5 Mar. 2016. Web. 06 Mar. 2016.
<http://townhall.com/tipsheet/leahbarkoukis/2016/03/01/antitrump-group-to-acu-
disinvite-donald-drumpf-from-cpac-n2127175>.
LastWeekTonight. "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Donald Trump (HBO).
YouTube.Published Feb.28, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnpO_RTSNmQ.
Lyons, Joseph D. "Bustle." Bustle. 29 Feb. 2016. Web. 06 Mar. 2016.
<http://www.bustle.com/articles/145089-could-john-olivers-donald-drumpf-segment-do-
what-jeb-bush-couldnt-dont-hold-your-breath>.
Rosenbaum, S.I. "John Oliver's ‘Donald Drumpf’ Jokes Play on the Same Ugly Xenophobia
Trump Does." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2016. Web. 06 Mar. 2016.
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/03/03/john-olivers-donald-
drumpf-jokes-play-on-the-same-ugly-xenophobia-trump-
does/?tid=pm_opinions_pop_b>.
Twitter. Home » Hollywood » This Article John Oliver Turns Knife in Trump as Donald Drumpf
— Ancestral Name. Digital image. MynewsLA.com. Cal News, Inc., 29 Feb. 2016. Web.
<http://mynewsla.com/hollywood/2016/02/29/john-oliver-turns-knife-in-trump-as-
donald-drumpf-ancestral-name/>.
Victor, Daniel. "Donald Drumpf: A Funny Label, but Is It Fair?" The New York Times. The
New York Times, 02 Mar. 2016. Web. 06 Mar. 2016.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/03/us/politics/donald-drumpf-a-funny-label-but-is-it-
fair.html?_r=0>.
