Trumped: Inside the Greatest Political Upset of All Time

[StevePulaski]

Trumped: Inside the Greatest Political Upset of All Time (2017)
Directed by: Ted Bourne

Rating: ★★★

It's officially been three months since Donald Trump pulled off arguably the most surprising upset victory in the history of American politics. Despite losing the popular vote by over three million votes, he obtained more than the required 270 electoral votes to succeed Barack Obama as the 45th President of the United States. I apologize for the very obvious, journalist-style introduction. I, myself, am still in a bit of shock and I simply had to write that down to confirm it.

Three months means it's about time for the first of presumably dozens of documentaries about how and why Trump pulled off such a stunning feat and the first, to my knowledge, is Trumped: Inside the Greatest Political Upset of All Time. Starring John Heilemann, Mark Halperin, and Mark McKinnon, the three men behind Showtime's program The Circus, which illustrated much of the Kabuki theater of the 2016 presidential election, Trumped is essentially the film adaptation of the series. Even better, it's the "greatest hits" collection of the current president's path to the Oval Office following heated primaries with some of the most notable Republicans governors and senators, astounding controversies, and some of the most cut-throat and vicious debates with Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton that led up to the underdog victory.

The film reminds us how this election cycle appeared to start earlier than normal. All the way back in the summer of 2015, Trump announcing his campaign as President was prime for mockery and a plethora of yuks amongst the American public. The only ones not laughing were those that were attending his rallies, donating to his campaign, and purchasing "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN" memorabilia en masse. He soared in the polls for his inflammatory rhetoric, his rejection of political correctness, his protectionist attitude towards America, and the fact that he spewed what much of America felt was true regardless of whether or not it was. Mexicans are sending over their rapists and drug-smugglers across the border, Muslims are coming to destroy America, liberals have failed for twenty years. His platform was attack-centered and it worked.

Basic - and I mean basic - research via acclaimed and reputable fact-checking websites disproved more of Trump's broad generalizations than any other candidate, including the reviled Hillary Clinton, who simply couldn't be trusted after the Republicans and media overblew her email server scandal. But people didn't care. They had their candidate. The "populist" who lived his life stomping on the very same people he was making incredible promises to. He was the person who said he was the middle class's savior that never lived a middle class life, in the face of more Obama-esque policies that allegedly failed America time and time again.

He ran on a vicious, odious platform and his victory has inspired the nastiest, most hateful attitudes in people I've ever witnessed.

Trumped tells nobody that's stayed glued to 24 hour cable news networks like it's an ongoing Super Bowl for the last year anything revealing, but it compiles everything together in a way that makes it all meteoric and digestible in a matter of 108 minutes. American politics became an aptly named "circus" this past election cycle, better yet, a sporting event, that prompted rallies with rioting and the solicitation of brightly colored t-shirts and wristbands to further bipartisanship in the most flamboyant manner.

I watched the final hours of the election coverage at the radio station where I DJ and didn't go on air for my shift until about 1:45am after our local and national election coverage had ceased. I watched the results in the "news room" with several other DJs, reporters, and the heads of the radio, all who were in disbelief as Trump was just Michigan, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania away from winning the election. He'd win all but New Hampshire; Hillary Clinton managed to eek that one out.

Trumped works as it's intended and that's as a documentary detailing how a strange election cycle ended as unexpectedly as it could've. Heilemann, Halperin, and McKinnon are frequently shown discussing the election amongst themselves, attending rallies, or commenting on ongoing controversies of the time (including, but not limited to, Trump mocking a disabled reporter and praising his ability to grab women in an unflattering manner). People like me were confidently preaching that Donald Trump wouldn't even with the Republican nomination, and once that proved false, stated that he wouldn't become president. The realization hit us hard and thus is the perfect kickstart to what it sure to be one of the most controversial and protested presidencies in American history.

Directed by: Ted Bourne.