President-elect Donald Trump won’t be sworn in until Friday, but he’s already gearing up for the 2020 election. He even has a campaign slogan in mind—too bad there’s a horror movie that already used it.
In an interview with the Washington Post about his 2016 slogan “Make America Great Again,” Trump shared that he had already brainstormed the slogan he’ll use in his reelection campaign. Trump thinks he’ll be campaigning in an improved America, and he’s already directing his lawyers to register the trademark for him.
“Are you ready?” he said. “ ‘Keep America Great,’ exclamation point.”
“Get me my lawyer!” the president-elect shouted.
Two minutes later, one arrived.
“Will you trademark and register, if you would, if you like it — I think I like it, right? Do this: ‘Keep America Great,’ with an exclamation point. With and without an exclamation. ‘Keep America Great,’ ” Trump said.
“Got it,” the lawyer replied.
It’s a snappy slogan, for sure. But, as some have pointed out, it’s already been used as the tagline for the 2016 horror film The Purge: Election Year, the third in a series of films where people can legally commit crimes one day a year.
#KeepAmericaGreat #ThePurgehttps://t.co/JtMknRM5m9
— Abigail (@UniversalHorror) February 26, 2016
The Purge: Election Year received comparisons to Trump and the 2016 election well before its release. The film centers around a female presidential candidate who wants to get rid of the Purge while her rival wants to keep the status quo. And the tagline—“Keep America Great”—was seen as an homage to Trump’s “Make America Great Again.” Director James DeMonaco has noted the similarities between the film and the 2016 election weren’t entirely coincidental.
There’s even a very Trump-like presence in the film, although actor Frank Grillo asserts that it wasn’t done on purpose.
“Oddly enough, the guy who plays the president in the movie, he plays him like Trump—totally by accident,” Grillo told Comic Book. “There’s a lot of parallels between the GOP race and the movie and the messages that are being put forward and then Universal got this great idea to call it Purge: Election Year.”
"Trump’s New Slogan Is The Same One From ‘The Purge’"
— ryan carey-mahoney (@thegoodcarmah) January 18, 2017
…holy shit pic.twitter.com/i2QoHnlqrM
Them: "Donald Trump wants to use 'Keep America Great' in 2020, but The Purge has already used that slogan."
— Kashif Osman (@WizKashifa) January 18, 2017
Me: pic.twitter.com/acsusRwiBO
Keep America Great #DonaldTrump 2020 campaign slogan is plagiarized from #ThePurge
— Red White & Shoe (@USAMINDJOB) January 18, 2017
Par for course. pic.twitter.com/d5lOiIRUzg
https://twitter.com/realMattTrey/status/821755869822124032
https://twitter.com/TheChrisGlass/status/821786906182565889
H/T Mashable