From Dave to Weekend At Bernie’s and Evita, the Jokes About Trump’s COVID Spin Go On

Everyone loves to make jokes about the president right now, and honestly, can you blame any of us? With everything going on, it’s easy to just mock him over and over again because then we feel as if we have some semblance of a grasp on what’s happening in this country. But with each passing day, the references get more and more obscure.

So, let’s go through each of the main references people are making. First, there is Dave. The Kevin Kline film follows Dave Kovic (Kline), who happens to look a lot like president Bill Mitchell (also Kline). When the president has a stroke after having sex with his secretary, Dave has to step in and pretend to be the commander-in-chief so that the vice president doesn’t end up in charge.

The difference between Dave and our current situation is that the president came out of Walter Reed hospital and ended up being even more of a monster, instead of a nice man getting to take over the White House. (I would take Kevin Kline as the president, though, if anyone is asking.)

Then there’s Weekend at Bernie’s. The 1989 film features Bernie (Terry Kiser) dying and his employees, Larry (Andrew McCarthy) and Richard (Jonathan Silverman), trying to pretend that Bernie is still alive. The problem is that they realize that Bernie was trying to have them killed to cover up his own wrongdoing. So, you know, that would be on par with the Trump administration, to be completely honest. I wouldn’t be surprised if the White House just props Trump up places and lies to us until after the election.

And finally, with his return to the White House from Walter Reed medical center came the Evita jokes. The Andrew Lloyd-Webber musical focuses on Eva Perón, the Argentine political leader married to Juan Perón. The original cast featured both Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin (my Broadway parents) and is iconic among fans of the Great White Way. It’s also, sadly, a musical that Donald Trump enjoys, which means that everyone makes jokes about it, and Evita doesn’t deserve this. I want to sing “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” in peace.

But still, his balcony bullshit from his return to the White House is very Evita-esque, so the comparisons make sense.

Donald Trump is the worst version of all these things, and I wish people would stop talking about him and bringing them up because I enjoy them and you’re RUINING MY HAPPINESS.

(image: Warner Bros.)

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Rachel Leishman

Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at the Mary Sue. She's been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff's biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she's your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh. She has multiple podcasts, normally has opinions on any bit of pop culture, and can tell you can actors entire filmography off the top of her head. Her current obsession is Glen Powell's dog, Brisket. Her work at the Mary Sue often includes Star Wars, Marvel, DC, movie reviews, and interviews.

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