The Left Copes With Trump’s Triumph As A Cultural Icon

President-elect Donald Trump went from a former commander-in-chief with a polarizing exit to a cultural icon whose re-election over a mugshot and two assassination attempts defined one of the greatest American comebacks of all time. Enter the “Trump dance” as a nationwide celebration of the ex-president’s triumph over four years of dystopian rule by a condescending administration.

Trump’s signature moves to his popular campaign anthem, the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.,” have taken the internet by storm after being performed by online influencers and athletes all across the sports world.

The left, which suddenly exempted themselves from their own lockdowns to parade in crowded streets because their candidate won four years ago, is now having a hard time watching Americans relish in Trump’s massive victory.

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“Athletes will come to regret their ‘Trump dance’ celebrations,” headlined an op-ed in USA Today by an author named Nancy Armour.

“As anyone over the age of, oh, 12 can tell you, what seems cool today will make you cringe in the future,” Armour wrote. “So it will be with athletes and their ‘Trump dance’ celebrations.”

“Actually, mimicking president-elect Donald Trump’s dance moves looks dumb in the moment,” Armour added.

She sounds fun. A few paragraphs later, Armour actually wrote, “It’s all fun and games until people start getting deported.”

Well ok, if we’re going to go there, someone might ask the family of murdered 22-year-old Laken Riley how much they’ve enjoyed the “fun and games” of an illegal immigrant from Venezuela slaughtering her. The killer, Jose Ibarra, was handed a life sentence Wednesday, wherein he’ll live on the government payroll the rest of their life.

On Sunday, a panel on CNN featured pundits who characterized Trump as a “Republican Caesar” following the president-elect’s appearance at Saturday night’s UFC event in New York City’s Madison Square Garden. Trump walked into the legacy venue with an entourage of some of the most recognizable personalities from his campaign now preparing to staff the new administration, such as Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, Tulsi Gabbard, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Also present at the fight where Trump held one of the most significant rallies of his latest campaign included UFC President Dana White, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, and the president-elect’s two sons, Donald Trump Jr., and Eric Trump.

“It really looks like ancient Rome here,” said Bulwark reporter Marc Caputo. “This is sort of the conquering Republican Caesar who’s going into The Colosseum and everyone’s cheering, and he’s got his political gladiators with him.”

Was that supposed to be an insult? Normal Americans (and normal gays) who aren’t allergic to testosterone yet might call it remarkable. Indeed, Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones celebrated his victory in the headline event with the “Trump dance” and thanked the president-elect for being there as the fighter defended the UFC title.

“I’m proud to be a great American champion,” Jones said in the cage with the display of high-octane patriotism that used to unite the country. Patriotism is cool again four years after the Democrat Party denigrated Mount Rushmore out of self-hatred.

Jones even went on to shake hands with the president-elect after handing Trump the championship belt.

“That appearance isn’t just about him enjoying the applause,” Caputo said on CNN. “He’s sending a message to the Senate. Like, not only, ‘are you entertained?’ But, ‘these are my people, and are you willing to fight? Because here’s who I have.’”

Trump did, after all, vow on election night usher in the “golden age of America” with echoes of the “Pax Romana,” which refers to the roughly 200-year era of unprecedented prosperity for the Roman Empire between 27 BC to 180 AD.

“We’re going to fix everything about our country, and we’ve made history for a reason tonight,” Trump said. “This will truly be the golden age of America.”

The “Pax Romana” also happens to translate to “Roman peace.” While Trump detractors are constantly out to characterize him as an unhinged authoritarian, American voters spoke clearly when they elected their “Republican Caesar” and tossed the incumbent regime, which has pushed the world closer to nuclear conflict and zealously prosecuted its top political opponent. In other words, democracy was kept safe as Americans welcomed the candidate who promised world peace.

Tristan Justice is a national correspondent for The Federalist and the co-author of “Fat and Unhappy: How ‘Body Positivity’ Is Killing Us (and How to Save Yourself).” He has also written for The Washington Examiner and The Daily Signal. His work has also been featured in Real Clear Politics and Fox News. Tristan graduated from George Washington University where he majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow him on Twitter at @JusticeTristan or contact him at [email protected]. Sign up for Tristan’s email newsletter here. Buy “Fat and Unhappy” here.