Taylor’s Takes: They want Trump to be the villain so badly
Valjean or Javert? They’d love nothing more than for Trump to give them an answer they think is steeped in the irony of a lack of self-awareness.
A reporter just asked President Trump one of the most interesting questions I think I’ve ever heard posed to him.
The President, accompanied by the First Lady, attended a performance of Les Misérables at the Kennedy Center Wednesday evening.
The reporter asked Trump as he walked the red carpet with Melania, “Do you identify more with Jean Valjean or Javert?”
“Oh, that’s a tough one,” Trump pondered. “You better answer that one, honey,” he said, gesturing to the First Lady. “I don’t know.”
On the surface, the question seems more like a softball the media was apt to toss at Biden. “Mr. President! Mr. President! What flavor ice cream did you get?”
In reality, the question was more of a “gotcha” moment designed to get Trump to say that he sees dignity in the storyline of Javert, the perceived villain. That’s how they view him, after all. They’d love nothing more than for Trump to give them an answer they think is steeped in the irony of a lack of self-awareness.
Perhaps unwittingly, however, the reporter’s question can draw a much deeper answer.
If you’re unfamiliar with the plot of Les Misérables, I’ll do my best to boil it down for you: Jean Valjean, a convict who had his prison sentence lengthened for multiple escape attempts, is released after nearly two decades only to immediately commit another crime, assume a false identity, and ultimately aid a pack of ill-prepared terrorists in an unsuccessful overthrow of government. All the while, Inspector Javert is tasked with hunting down Valjean to bring him to justice for breaking his parole.
Granted, there are several other key details and subplots I’ve omitted, but that’s the gist.
An argument could be made that Trump could assume the identity of either character.
The obvious comparison is Trump has more in common with Javert. Most of the theater-going public (largely Democrats), view the President as a merciless villain who will stop at nothing to see that criminals are brought to justice no matter how small the crime may seem.
To Javert, a crime is a crime, even if it is stealing a loaf of bread to provide for your family.
Many would say such an offense hardly deems a 19-year prison term, just as they would say illegally entering the United States hardly deems swift deportation.
As Javert made it his life’s mission to bring Valjean to justice, so, too, is Trump’s main policy to deport the millions of illegals who previous administrations let in.
The viewer of Les Mis is expected to have compassion for Valjean, just as liberals would have you search your heart to have compassion for the “migrants” who only came to America to make a better life for their family.
Javert and Trump see justice as blind and to be carried out, no matter the offense or the reason for it. Laws are laws and they’re there for a reason. Otherwise, chaos would reign.
But if Trump were to really give it some thought, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn he identifies more with the protagonist.
Trump, ever the optimist, sees himself as an unfairly prosecuted man who is simply on a quest to make a better life for those around him. Throughout his entire political career, he has been hunted by his own Javert: rabid, bloodthirsty Democrats. They want nothing more than to see Trump behind bars. And they’ve tried to do it numerous times, often bending the very definitions of law to fulfill their adopted life’s mission.
Yeah, if I had to put money on it, I’d say Trump identifies more with Jean Valjean. Trump defines “main character energy,” and never gets second billing anywhere he goes.
Plus, toward the end of the play (spoiler alert), Javert commits suicide after weighing the morality of his hunt for Valjean versus the legal justifications. This clearly goes against one of Trump’s main tenets: never apologize for anything.
I’d love for him to give a final answer to the question, though. It would send every musical theatre nerd into the streets, shrieking in horror. While they see him as Javert, they also view the entire plotline as a metaphor for their fight to end Trump’s political prominence. They view themselves as the band of unlikely heroes revolting against an unjust authoritarian monarchy.
The revolutionists ultimately fail, of course. So, there’s irony to be found no matter who sees themselves as whom in Les Mis.
In case you were wondering, speaking strictly of the plot, I’m Team Javert. All the way. I mean, come on, Valjean attempted to escape prison numerous times before his release. And after he got out, he immediately stole (from a church, no less) and broke the conditions of his parole. Yet he carried a chip on his shoulder because Javert sought to return him to the pen. Javert was just doing his job, trying to keep his community safe and in a state of law and order.
Anyway, enjoy the original cast of London’s Les Misérables in the most entertaining number from the show, “Master of the House,” below.