MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Is Donald Trump Mr Potter from 'It's a Wonderful Life'? Internet compares the two with stimulus checks in jeopardy

The current uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus relief measure has led many on Twitter to wonder whether Trump is the real-life Mr Potter, which aired on NBC on Christmas Eve

'It's a Wonderful Life' is necessary for Christmas viewing. It is no wonder then that Twitter has erupted with appreciation for the evergreen film which extols the virtues of being good over evil, celebrating George Bailey's (James Stewart) escape from the trap set for him by Henry Potter aka Mr Potter (Lionel Barrymore). The 1946 film still remains one of the top Christmas movies, and this year, as United States President Donald Trump spends his vacation in Florida playing golf, while unemployment benefits are in danger of lapsing, people cannot help but wonder, is Donald Trump the real-life Mr Potter?

Mr Potter is awful, he is so awful that he ranks at #6 on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 Greatest Villains in American film history. The character represents the worst of America's elite class and capitalism as he preys on the poor instead of assisting them with the money he has and actively tries to block their progress. Throughout the film, we  see how Bailey is the perfect foil for Mr Potter, and when George is shown a world in which he is never born, he sees that Mr Potter renames Bedford Falls as Pottersville, which has become a sleazy and dangerous place filled with whiskey joints, crime, pawnshops, violence, seedy entertainment establishments and unhappy people with meaningless, amoral lives. This is the "thrifty working class" Potter had allegedly envisioned years earlier.

When Mr Potter finds the $8,000 lost by George's uncle and business partner Billy Bailey (Thomas Mitchell), he chooses to keep quiet over it and ends up calling the police to report George for criminal malfeasance and misappropriation of funds.

For many, the film's premise seems quite familiar. Trump threatened to veto the coronavirus economic relief saying, one-off payments to Americans should increase from $600 to $2,000, and foreign aid should be cut — for once, putting him on the opposing side of House Republicans who oppose the increase in the one-off payments. House GOP voted against the bill on Christmas Eve as unemployment benefits are due to expire on Saturday, December 26, if the bill is not enacted, and a moratorium on evictions may not be extended.

The current uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus relief measure has led many on Twitter to wonder whether Trump is the real-life Mr Potter from 'It's a Wonderful Life', which aired on NBC on Christmas Eve. That the movie is a Christmas staple is no argument, as one user tweeted, "Yes!!! Watching one the best movies of all times: #ItsAWonderfulLife now on #NBC@NBC and one of my favorite #movies!"

Those watching the movie began comparing Mr Potter to Trump, with one user tweeting, "Much like Henry Potter from #ItsAWonderfulLife, do you think Trump will also get away with all his crimes against humanity, theft and abuse of power?" Wajahat Ali, contributing writer for The New York Times joked, "I would say Trump is a real life Mr. Potter except that comparison wouldn't be accurate because Mr. Potter has money. #ItsAWonderfulLife."

Another user made a direct comparison, tweeting a picture of George Bailey talking to Mr Potter, writing, "What do you mean you vetoed the stimulus? #ItsAWonderfulLife@POTUS." A user tweeted, "I think Trump based his life on Potter @DorisKGoodwin @morningmika @WillieGeist @JoeNBC Just watched it over the weekend and thought 'there’s your inspiration folks. Trumps hero'. Potter = Trump #ItsAWonderfulLife."