Does Literature Have A Greater Villain Than Trump?

 

Literature, cinema, and stage theatre have produced some great villains over the years, including depictions of invading aliens, monsters, terrorists, savage cannibals, war-thirsty rulers, witches, the devil, zombies, serial killers, vicious gang leaders who rape, rob, and destroy with impunity, pedophiles, and madmen dictators like Stalin, Hitler, and Mussolini who would even terrorize their own people. But perhaps no greater villain, one that has not taken a single life, is one who simply could not have been imagined by creative writers.  I am talking about President Donald Trump.

He matches up well with the best villains. He:

* Says outrageous things.
* Backs them up with reckless actions.
* Ruins good people’s lives for no reason.
* Ruthlessly and heartlessly acts out of insecurity.
* Thinks — or tries to sell — tariffs as not being taxes on Americans
* Is a complete hypocrite and is immune to reasoning.
* Threatens the very world order that has kept us sane and secure.
* Has people under a hypnotic spell.
* Lies routinely, even about his lies.
* Lives in a world contrary to facts.
* Pardons his henchmen.
* Has the bullying charisma of a cult leader.
* Acts like he has your best interests at heart.
* Can’t be touched by the law.

How does he do it? He:

* Comes off as a strong, confident, visionary leader.
* Says certain populist things that resonate with people.
* Undermines his opposition with public ridicule and threats.
* Has people loyal to him out of fear.
* Acts swiftly, decisively, tirelessly.
* Knows how to find a loophole or weakness.
* Surrounds himself with unscrupulous yes-men. Listens to absurd conspiracy theories and believes them.
* Has a cold way of seeing things.
* Uses fake facts, spews ungrounded opinions as facts, and bans opposing viewpoints.

Most writers could not imagine the destruction of America would come not from nuclear war or an alien invasion, but from within, due to destructive policies from a megalomaniacal president who got a second term after two impeachments and having led the January 6 riot and revolt.

Our nation is under his spell because its political system is in shambles. The two-party system is clearly a failed idea. We alternate between extremes and rival gangs.

The Democrats had gone off the reservation with their woke agenda that leaves the nation thinking we have 60 genders, with white people being the victim of racism, with Jews under attack, and straight men marginalized. Our borders did not exist and we were flooded with too many people, some of whom are criminals. They overspent on poorly monitored government programs, even selectively trying to pay off personal debt in the form of school loans. Their excesses led to an open door for MAGA— or Magots.

The GOP, instead of doing what people wanted: to stop fraud and waste, threw out the baby with the bathwater. They took an unelected, unvetted guy— Elon Musk — who is a walking conflict of interest — and cut the good with the bad indiscriminately. Not only were jobs lost overnight in a cold and ruthless manner, America lost whole programs or departments that helped people in need or served our interests overseas.

Next: he cracked down on illegal immigration, overreaching DEI, and men playing in women’s sports. Fine. But he went too far.

He deported legal citizens, some who did nothing wrong. He wants to get rid of good people who serve in industries where we have a shortage of workers, including elder care, nannies, lawn care, and construction.

He cleansed the historical records of the accomplishments of heroic people like Rosa Parks and Jackie Robinson.

He is wreaking havoc all over the place. Lots of uncertainty and fear is seen in boardrooms, kitchens, and government agencies.

Foreign tourism, exported goods, and the stock market — all down. Jobless, prices, and stress — all up.

And it has not even been much more than three months into what will be a very destructive, upsetting, confusing, and risky four-year term.

Folks, behold the kind of villain even Hollywood, Broadway, or the book world could not ever have created. The monster is loose and he has no natural predators. He is a virus without an antidote. To save the nation, it might first have to be destroyed.

Do You Need Book Marketing & PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over four million page views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 4.25 million pageviews. With 5,000+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2025.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully).

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum