Pop Culture Predictions of Trump: From Zemeckis to Sterling
Christian Caliandro examines how pop culture anticipated Donald Trump's rise, citing intentional parallels in 'Back to the Future Part II' (1989) where Biff Tannen's casino was modeled on Trump Plaza Hotel. Co-writer Bob Gale confirmed the character was based on Trump. The article also references Frank Miller and Dave Gibbons' 1990 comic 'Give Me Liberty' and Bruce Sterling's 2000 novel 'Zeitgeist' as dystopian prefigurations.
Key facts
- Biff Tannen's casino in 'Back to the Future Part II' was modeled on Trump Plaza Hotel (completed 1984).
- Bob Gale confirmed Biff Tannen's personality was intentionally based on Donald Trump.
- Frank Miller and Dave Gibbons published 'Give Me Liberty' in 1990 via Dark Horse Comics.
- Bruce Sterling's novel 'Zeitgeist' (2000) features Leggy Starlitz and the G7 girl group.
- The article is by Christian Caliandro, published on Artribune.
- Christian Caliandro is an art historian and professor at Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze.
- The article references 'The Walking Dead' and 'Game of Thrones' as further examples.
- The article was published in 2016.
Entities
Artists
- Christian Caliandro
- Robert Zemeckis
- Bob Gale
- Frank Miller
- Dave Gibbons
- Bruce Sterling
- William Gibson
- Marty McFly
- Biff Tannen
- Martha Washington
- Leggy Starlitz
Institutions
- Artribune
- Dark Horse Comics
- Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze
- Symbola Fondazione per le Qualità italiane
- Trump Plaza Hotel
Locations
- Italy
- Firenze
- Manhattan
- Brooklyn
- Florida
- Texas
- Istanbul
- Cyprus
- New Mexico
- Hawaii