A Mockery of the White House: Hulk Hogan, Dwayne Johnson, Chris Rock and Katy Perry All Considered Running for Office
What do Dwayne Johnson, Chris Rock, Katy Perry, Kanye West, Roseanne Barr, Oprah Winfrey, Mark Zuckerberg, Mark Cuban and Tim McGraw have in common? They among other celebrities and big names among the elite are considering in various terms of seriousness, running for president. It's an interesting trend in our country in the last few years, the idea of celebrities and big name personalities running for the presidency. But now that Donald Trump has become President Trump, and completed his first year, many big name icons are considering the possibility.
Even heavy weight wrestler Hulk Hogan was considering a run, but recently came out and denied the possibility. What does this mean for our society and culture? One could kindle images in the mind of President Camacho from the movie "Idiocracy" where the most loud, obnoxious, popular and dynamic personality eventually rises to the presidency.
Has Donald Trump been the worst president? I don't really think so. I can't stand many of the things President Trump says, and I dislike his demeanor as president, but the truth is Trump has been the most conservative, pro-Christian, pro-life president since Ronald Reagan. Unfortunately he's also been a president who has made a lot of bizarre comments and questionable life decisions in the past. Then again, President Trump has fought back, from the highest government position in the land against severe media bias.
We as Christians have been trashed, mischaracterized, beaten back, branded bigots, labeled as haters and treated to ridicule by the leftist media complex for the past 40-plus years. Perhaps we shouldn't be so quick to attack a president who is finally willing to fight back. We like the idea of taking the high road. At least I know I do. But sometimes if we truly want to defend our rights, we have to fight for them. And maybe it took a bombastic, dynamic, big name celebrity like Trump to do just that.
So has Donald Trump opened the door for celebrities and big names to begin running for president? If Oprah Winfrey or Kanye West are going to run--why not T.D. Jakes, Joyce Meyer or Joel Osteen? Will the next big trend be high profile Christians rushing in to save the country? I doubt it. In fact I don't think it's particularly likely that many of these big names are actually serious about running for president. The rigors of a presidential run are severe, and the media attacks and cultural battles that ensue are not for the faint of heart.
Perhaps the American left is groping for someone, anyone who can take on their worst nightmare: Donald Trump. The left is looking for their next hero, and they're not ruling out big name celebrities. Will this trend of celebrity presidential candidates continue? It's possible. But it's probably true that Donald Trump was a unique case. He combined oratorical skill, name recognition and celebrity status with impulsively conservative policies, a deep desire to reform the system, and an ability to inspire a generation feeling rejected by the elites on the east and west coasts to change the narrative of a country. If there's another name out there in the big name world who can do that, anything is possible.
So what does all this mean? I believe we're seeing the beginnings of a breakdown of our society. More and more so, it doesn't seem to matter what a person's positions are on key issues and policies, what matters more is name recognition, celebrity status and rhetorical skill. As we see the Christian underpinnings of our society disintegrate, and the shared values of the past discarded, I think we'll increasingly see a denigration of our political and cultural narratives. Christian ought to be in prayer and contemplation of how to help uphold society in new ways in the coming years