Trump and the Story of the Classic Western

The following article is provided by New Films from D'Souza Media LLC. “Vindicating Trump” Written by Dinesh D'Souza.

Before coming to America, I had no direct knowledge of Americans or American culture. My knowledge was mainly through movies, especially Westerns. I saw a lot of movies, but my favorites were With a little more money Starring Clint Eastwood The man who shot Liberty Valance Starring Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne, this Western is above all a morality tale, and a remarkably clear and insightful portrayal of Donald Trump and the current crisis.

In a typical Western, we start with a small town, usually called Shinbone or Pleasantville. It's a quiet place, the people are happy, and there's an old sheriff with a toothbrush mustache. The sheriff is a good guy, but he's clichéd. He hates the use of force. He envisions a kinder, gentler Shinbone. And in a peaceful environment, his approach is the right one. The people drink and chat at the local saloon. They buy food at the local grocery store.

Then the gang arrives and the harmony of the town is severely disrupted. Their arrival is punctuated with shocking depictions of violent decadence, to convey to the audience that the old harmony is gone. Shinbone is not the same place it was before the gang arrived. The outlaws take over the town with ruthless speed. They take over the saloon and grocery store. They overthrow the old sheriff, and in so doing, the outlaws become the law. They humiliate the young girls and women. They terrorize the population into submission. Shinbone now faces an existential crisis. Evil is strong and seems invincible.

Then, from across the mountains, comes a rider. He's an outsider and little known. The townspeople don't know what to do with him because he seems rough, rude and, above all, his motives are unclear. But the gangsters quickly realize that this man is a real threat. He's a normal guy on the surface, but, as the bad guys soon discover, he's also a man of extraordinary strength and power. And he has won their hearts.

The gang tested him and, despite his apparent caution, he demonstrated no intention of submitting to their authority, so they decided to destroy him by any means necessary. They would stop at nothing. They bribed him, intimidated him, turned the townspeople against him, and even tried to beat him to death.

But this guy shows incredible tenacity. He takes some hard hits but doesn't go down completely. He's tenacious, strategic and fast. He can't lose when he gathers his thugs together. And in the end it's a big shootout or a big draw. The gang has rigged the game. They have the firepower but they are determined to cheat.

The hero is aware of the injustice, but he is not a cheater himself. He fights fair, he shoots fair, and in the end, he has perfected the art of fighting and takes down the gang. Sometimes this is accomplished with the help of his townsfolk, and sometimes he does it all on his own. Either way, the bad guy gets what he deserves.

But even when we get to the definitive ending scene, it's always the same: the threat of the gang is over. Not forever, because a new gang could appear at any time. But for now it's over. The townspeople rejoice, they're grateful. And some of them even hope the outsider will stay. They might need him in the future to deal with the new gang. But that guy never stays. He gets on his horse and rides off.

Dinesh D'Souza (Photo courtesy of D'Souza Media LLC)

So why does he do this? The reason is subtle, but important. The outsider could have stayed. In fact, he could have run the town as a gangster himself. He could have easily become the new gangster, because he showed he had the power to beat the gangs. But our hero doesn't want to do that. And that's what makes him a hero. His goal is to make Shinbone great again. And then, his job done, he leaves. In doing so, he shows the town that he was always on their side. Before, people knew he was against the gangs, but they didn't know he was for them. Eventually, they find out.

That's the fiction we love. But it also seems to be the reality of America today. America is, after all, a syndome. The left and the Democrats are the gangster regime taking over the town. The old sheriff represents the old Republican establishment, well-intentioned but utterly unable to stand up to the gangster threat. And the man who came over the mountain and is the last to leave is Trump. We are living out the script of a classic Western today, and the only suspense is how the story will end.

This article is excerpted from Dinesh D'Souza's upcoming book. Vindicating Trump. De Souza movie The film of the same name will be released in theaters nationwide. September 27.