In keeping with their pattern of predicting the future, The Simpsons writers have yet again foreseen the potential presidency of Donald Trump.
The former president made his second bid for the White House yesterday, declaring his intention to run for president in 2024 during a speech at Mar-a-Lago resort. Hours after making the announcement — in which Trump gloated about his relationship with Kim Jong-un, among other outlandish comments — The Simpsons writer, Al Jean pointed out that Trump’s 2024 candidacy has somewhat been written in the stars.
Jean shared to Twitter a screenshot of a season 11 episode of The Simpsons, in which patriarch Homer is seen hovering above a “Trump 2024” sign. Jean accompanied the screenshot of the episode, titled Bart To The Future, with the caption, “As predicted in 2015.” Fans of The Simpsons will know that it’s not the first time that the long-running animated sitcom has foreseen real-world events, particularly those pertaining to Trump.
.@TheSimpsons As predicted in 2015 pic.twitter.com/BQEbCXAyy2
— Al Jean (@AlJean) November 16, 2022
An episode of the show which aired in 2000 seemingly predicted Trump’s first presidency, with Lisa Simpson making mention of “inherit[ing] quite a budget cut from President Trump.” Elsewhere across its 34-season run, The Simpsons has been credited with forecasting Brexit, the plot of the comedy film The Hangover and Tom Hanks’ appearance as a spokesperson for the US government, among other uncanny parallels.
Earlier this year, The Simpsons writers devoted an entire episode to their fortune-telling abilities, in what was described by showrunner Matt Selman as “a conceptual episode with lots of crazy stuff in it.” Selman continued: “We have another crazy conceptual episode that explains how The Simpsons know the future.”
Meanwhile, in Trump-land, the former reality star announced his candidacy despite the advice of his consultees. Trump was reportedly encouraged to delay his run for president following the lacklustre performance of the Republican candidates he endorsed in last week’s midterm elections. Given his track record, let’s hope that this The Simpsons prediction never materialises (for once).
