In his Inauguration Speech, 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump, stated that his domestic and foreign policies will focus on “America First”. In response to Mr. Trump’s declaration, a number of European countries’ comedy channels, starting with the Netherlands’ comedy show "Zondag met Luback," have presented their nations mimicking Donald Trump’s style of rhetoric. This trend has gained popularity and an increasing number of European Late Night Shows are making their own versions.
The style of the videos is a parody of a tourist commercial for a specific country. The videos are addressed to Donald Trump and their aim is to convince the US President why the particular country should be placed second. In order to achieve this goal, the countries present some of their practices and traditions through the lens of what President Trump thinks constitutes a great nation. The different countries also emphasize their superlatives over other European states, in order to prove their point. For greater persuasive effect, the narrators of most videos aimed to capture Mr. Trump’s diction and even his tone of voice.
Although the videos are mainly humorous, they may be viewed as a critique of President Trump’s way of thinking. This new trend is controversial and may not be to the liking of some; however, it’s existence is important. Satirical commentary on current events can bring awareness towards the discussed subject matter and it shows that those who do not agree with such policies and ideas can freely express their opinions. In modern times, social media has allowed for information to spread more quickly and widely. So, news from one country can reach other countries very quickly, creating an atmosphere of discussion and worldwide political awareness. Therefore, people from different countries with similar ideas can communicate more easily and start trends such as this one.
Another beneficial outcome that these videos can have, is that they can ignite people’s interest in the specific country. Although the landmarks and traditions shown are purposefully selected to emphasize a point, the videos still show some of the cultural traits of the specific nation presented.
The Late Night talk show hosts from some European countries have even set up a website, where the current videos are gathered.
