Some of us are still holding out, but the writing’s on the wall. Donald Trump is going to be our next president (at least until he assumes the title of “Generalissimo Para La Vida”). That means that we could soon be getting tax breaks for ordering Trump Steaks. The Donald’s megalomaniacal vision and over-the-top antagonism of his rivals (and non-supporters) inspired artist Jeff Hong to liken Trump’s role in American discourse to that of 1980s Nintendo game bosses.
Speaking with The Creators Project, Hong quickly made the connection to the games of his youth. “He isn’t far off that from being one of these video game characters bent on world domination,” said the artist. It doesn’t hurt that Trump’s physical appearance perfectly combines King Koopa’s stooped posture, the swagger of every opponent in Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!, and the giant head and tiny hands of Donkey Kong.
It would be one thing if Hong simply created stylized images of future-President Trump as beloved Nintendo villains, but he’s taking things a step farther. Trumptendo offers fair-use-by-way-of-satire, fully playable versions of seven Nintendo classics. Face off as a Vermont senator looking to rescue the Princess (and free college tuition) in Super Bernie Bros! Or knock out a glass-jawed Joe Biden in the first round of Donald Trump’s Punch-Out!! Wondering how Donald’s strategy to “bomb the hell out of ISIS” will play out on January 21, 2017? Spoiler alert: it’s probably going to look exactly like ISIS Bomberman.
So until some rabble-rousing Sanders supporter lands a fully government-funded haymaker into Trump’s pumpkin face, you’ll have to live vicariously by firing bug spray up Donkey Trump’s ass.