The ‘vaporisation’ of Donald Trump

“Already censored on numerous social media sites, the liberal establishment in control of the institutions and wider culture is trying to scribble him out of the pages of history.”

Of all the Orwellian terms spelled out in the dystopian novel 1984 to describe contemporary political discourse, such as ‘wrong-think’ and ‘thought-police’, it is fair to say, given recent events, that the word ‘vaporised’ can join the pack. To be ‘vaporised’ was where a person was ‘removed from society’, with each scrap of evidence detailing their existence – from birth certificates to employee records – scratched out of reality. It was as if they never existed. Although the dystopian nightmare is not as terrifying as our own world, it does make for a tamed parody of Orwell’s warnings. 

One recent victim – or soon to be victim – of 21st century vaporisation is the outgoing President of the United States, Donald Trump.

Already censored on numerous social media sites, his old posts scrubbed away from public viewing, the liberal establishment in control of the institutions and wider culture is trying to scribble him out of the pages of history.

This isn’t just about going after Trump the President, but Trump the man (in a world where everything is painfully politicised, there is no distinction between the two). 

Trump was a recognisable figure in American society long before he sailed down the golden staircase of Trump tower to announce his campaign for the presidency in 2015, such as hosting the U.S version of ‘The Apprentice’ whilst appearing in many TV and film cameos. One such cameo was in ‘Home Alone 2’, in which a petition has been fired up calling for Trump to be edited out of the movie, nearly three decades after the film’s release. 

I am not sure what grudge they can hold against 90s Trump: he was a Democrat at this moment in time. 

Besides, what is this obsession with Trump? He appears in the movie for a split-second equipped with less than ten words to usher the main character, played by McCauley Culkin (a washed-up former child-star who, unsurprisingly, supports Trump’s removal from the film) to the front counter of the luxurious Plaza Hotel where the plot needs him to be. 

Trump’s iconoclastic opponents are acting in a very reckless manner in this pursuit of their political enemy’s expulsion from the chapters of history. Trump represented everything they perceived as decrepit and foul in both politics and society, so the ‘vaporisation’ of him is seen as a moral cleansing. A modern-day example of history being written by the victors. This attempt to scribble Trump out of a family film may appear childish and laughable but should be taken very seriously. 

Modern politics has entered a stage of McCarthyite character destroying, where political compromise and civil respect for the opposing side are buried six feet under, with those above ground dancing on the grave. Political victory is no longer just about winning elections and passing legislation – it is now the puritanical purge of any who disagree. Vaporisation is just one of the means by which this act is done.