The Trump Administration: Animal Farm Meets Animal House

 

I woke up this morning with the thought that this administration would be ripe for an Orwell tale like Animal Farm originally written about Soviet Union politics. I then also got the feeling that a mashup of Trump-Animal Farm-Animal House would be fitting. I have a short-story with that in mind. I had help from Google’s AI for some of the dialogue in the tale.

After pulling together the text for this, I was surprised that I was not the first to see the similarities. I went looking for a graphic and just entered Trump, Animal Farm, and Animal House and had dozens of images where someone already had the same idea. I grabbed a few for the collage graphic.

For those of you who might be a bit rusty on the Orwell classic, Animal Farm, or perhaps unfamiliar with the movie Animal House I have a summary below. If you don’t need a refresher you can skip to the solid line below the Animal House heading to begin the farcical tale of near fiction.

Refresher:

George Orwell’s Animal Farm was written as a critique of the Soviet Union, but its themes of power, language, and gradual systemic shifts remain a popular lens for analyzing modern American politics. While the U.S. is a representative democracy rather than a revolutionary autocracy, several parallels often emerge in public discourse.

The Power of Language and "Newspeak"

In the novella, the pigs slowly alter the Seven Commandments to suit their needs, eventually distilling them into the paradoxical: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

Critics often compare this to modern political rhetoric and "spin." Whether it’s the use of euphemisms for military actions, the rebranding of economic shifts, or the way "alternative facts" are used to reshape public perception, the manipulation of language to justify policy changes mirrors Squealer’s role as the farm's propagandist.

The Elite Class and Populism

The central conflict of Animal Farm is the emergence of a "pig" class—leaders who began as revolutionaries for the common good but eventually adopted the luxuries and behaviors of the humans they overthrew.

In the U.S., the "revolving door" between lobbyists and lawmakers fuels the idea of a political elite ("the establishment" or "the swamp") separate from public consequences, mirroring how the animals saw the pigs and men as essentially the same.

Scapegoating and Internal Enemies

Napoleon maintains control by blaming the exiled Snowball for every failure on the farm. This creates a perpetual state of fear and a common enemy to distract from internal mismanagement.

Similarly, modern U.S. politics is deeply polarized. Both major parties frequently use "bogeymen"—whether it’s the opposing party, foreign entities, or specific social groups—to galvanize their base. By focusing on a "villain," leadership can often bypass accountability for their own policy shortcomings.

The Warning

Ultimately, Animal Farm isn't just about one specific government; it’s a warning about complacency. The farm’s tragedy stems from the other animals’ failure to maintain their own education and skepticism. In the American context, the book serves as a reminder that the health of a republic depends on a citizenry that questions rhetoric and holds its leaders to the same standards it holds itself.

Animal House

Animal House, the movie, has none of the nuance of Animal Farm. It’s an in-your-face farcical look at college fraternity life as it prepares a group of misfits for the life that awaits. It has no business in a serious look at the current Trump administration beyond the mindless chaos and ensuing damage to what had been an admittedly flawed system.

Animal House is a comedy about the chaotic, anti-establishment Delta Tau Chi fraternity fighting back against Faber College’s strict Dean Wormer. Set in 1962, the Delta members, led by John "Bluto" Blutarsky, engage in wild partying, pranks, and a legendary revenge plot during the homecoming parade after being threatened with expulsion.

I liken the frat house adolescents and their hijinks to the collection of irresponsible misfits hired into jobs for which they are ill-equipped in this administration.

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Animal Farm Meets Animal House Meets Trump: The Story

The scene opens on Manor Farm, which has recently been renamed The Delta Tau Chi Ranch.

Napoleon, now wearing a long red tie that drags through the mud and a hat that reads “Make the Farm Great Again,” stood on the porch of the farmhouse. He wasn’t just a pig anymore; he was a Brand.

“Listen up, losers!” Napoleon squealed into a gold-plated megaphone. “The previous administration, led by that weakling Snowball, allowed the fences to crumble. They were ‘Low Energy.’ We’re building a wall around the vegetable patch, and we’re going to make the sheep pay for it!”

The sheep, confused but eager, began their new chant: “Four legs good, two legs better, No Homework ever!”

Inside the farmhouse, the transition was complete. The Seven Commandments had been replaced by a single framed poster of a middle-aged man in a toga holding a Solo cup. It read: “ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL, BUT SOME ARE TOTAL RECTUMS.”

Blonde-haired Squealer, acting as the White House Press Secretary, held a briefing behind a podium made of beer crates. “The Napoleon Administration is the most successful in the history of the barnyard,” Squealer insisted, despite the fact that the windmill had just been accidentally demolished by a runaway golf cart. “The rumors that Napoleon spent the night doing ‘Gator’ slides in the hallway are Fake News spread by the hens. He was actually conducting high-level negotiations with Mr. Pilkington over a game of beer pong.”

The chaos was systematic. Whenever the cows complained about the lack of hay, Napoleon would declare a "double secret probation" on the pigeons, accusing them of being deep-state operatives for the humans.

One evening, the animals peered through the window. They saw Napoleon sitting at a table with the rival farmers. They weren't discussing grain prices; they were participating in a high-stakes wet T-shirt contest judged by a very confused goat.

"I gave my love a cherry," sang the farmer, strumming a guitar, until Napoleon smashed it against the wall. "I'M DEPORTING YOU!" the pig roared to thunderous applause from the pigs in the front row, who were all wearing "Animal House" sweatshirts.

Benjamin the Donkey sighed, watching the pigs drink fermented mash and chant "Toga! Toga!" while the rest of the animals worked sixteen-hour shifts.

"The more things change," Benjamin muttered, "the more they look like a frat party that got way out of hand in 1978."

As the night went on, the animals outside looked from pig to frat boy, and from frat boy to pig, and from pig to politician; but already it was impossible to say which was which, mostly because everyone was wearing a bedsheet and someone had just driven a Lincoln Continental through the barn door.

The transformation of The Delta Tau Chi Ranch was complete. Napoleon, now insisting on being called "The Most Gold-Medal-Winningest Leader," had declared that the farm would enter the Winter Olympics—not to compete, but to "win by default because the other farms are losers."

In the middle of the frozen mud, a new pig named Kash had arrived. Kash was a sleek, energetic pig who had spent his career "exposing the Deep Stable" and writing best-selling scrolls titled “Government Hamsters.” Napoleon had immediately appointed Kash as the Chief of the Farmhouse Guard, tasking him with sniffing out any animal that had ever looked at Snowball with a hint of admiration.

Kash didn't spend much time in the guardhouse, though. Instead, he was frequently seen boarding the farm’s private crop-duster, modified with gold leaf, to fly to far-off pastures. His latest trip took him to the "Milan-Cortina-on-the-Hill" games.

The animals back home watched a grainy live-stream on a cracked tablet. There was Kash, wearing a toga made of the American flag and a gold medal he had seemingly borrowed from a confused retriever. He was in the middle of a locker room celebration with the farm’s champion hockey team, chugging fermented apple juice and spraying it over everyone like a frat brother during Rush Week.

"It's an official security mission!" Squealer squealed to the shivering animals. "Kash is personally inspecting the structural integrity of the beer bottles to ensure no human spies have poisoned them! It's a heavy burden he carries for you!".

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Napoleon—who never drank, but loved a good spectacle—was hosting a "House Party" in the farmhouse. He had declared "Double Secret Probation" on any animal that dared to ask where the grain money had gone.

The scene inside was pure chaos:

• The Big Man (Napoleon) sat at the head of the table, rearranging Lego bricks to look like a wall while shouting at a portrait of Snowball.

• Kash had just returned from the Olympics, still smelling like a brewery and claiming he had "deconstructed the administrative barn" while doing a keg stand.

• The Sheep were outside, chanting their new slogan: "Two legs good, four legs bad, chug-a-lug, chug-a-lug, make the humans sad!"

As the sun set, the animals looked through the window again. Kash was showing Napoleon a video of his "security meetings" in Italy, which mostly involved him chugging a beer in 4.5 seconds to the cheers of a crowd. Napoleon nodded with approval, though he looked slightly annoyed that Kash’s tie wasn’t as long as his own.

Benjamin the Donkey just shook his head. "They used to say power corrupts," he muttered, "but apparently, it also just makes you want to live in a movie from 1978 where nobody ever has to graduate."