The Philosophers' Magazine What Satire Can Do for Us
Dieter Declercq reflects on the value of political parody now that Trump is no longer president
Donald Trump was one of the most satirised presidents in American history, and now he’s gone. Do we have satirists to thank? Perhaps, but only in a small way. We misunderstand the nature and value of satire if we think it serves to oust political leaders – or prevent them from taking office. During the 2016 presidential elections, online media regularly praised American satirists like John Oliver and Samantha Bee for “murderslaying” or “annihilating” Donald Trump. Yet, all the satire in the world was not enough to really “Make Donald ‘Drumpf’ Again” – and keep him out of the White House in 2016. We should therefore not overstate satire’s impact on the 2020 elections.