The Rise and Fall of Trump's American Dream
A biographical drama exploring Donald Trump’s transformation from a real estate mogul to presidential candidate, examining how his pursuit of power and success gradually hollowed out his initial ideals and values, ultimately revealing the void beneath America’s facade of greatness.
The film masterfully traces Trump’s journey through three distinct phases of his life, each marking a crucial transformation in both his personal identity and vision for America. In the early stage, Trump emerges as an ambitious real estate developer with traditional conservative values, looking up to Roy Cohn as a mentor figure who embodies his idealized version of American success and power.
The relationship between Trump and Cohn serves as the film’s central metaphor for America’s evolution. Initially, Cohn appears to represent the strong, traditional America that Trump aspires to restore. However, as their relationship unfolds, we witness how Cohn’s teachings about winning at any cost gradually corrupt Trump’s idealistic vision, replacing it with a ruthless pursuit of victory driven purely by desire for dominance.
The film’s middle section chronicles Trump’s marriage to Ivana and the construction of Trump Tower. These personal and professional achievements initially seem to validate his pursuit of the American Dream. Yet beneath the glittering surface, we see Trump increasingly embracing Cohn’s pragmatic amorality, willing to compromise his stated values for success.
As Trump ascends to greater heights of wealth and influence, the film reveals the growing hollowness behind his carefully constructed image. Scenes of him obsessing over his appearance through plastic surgery and hair treatments serve as powerful metaphors for the artificiality of both his personal brand and his vision of American greatness.
The final act focuses on Trump’s political awakening and decision to run for president. Here, the film suggests that Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan represents not just nostalgia for an idealized past, but a fundamental misunderstanding of America’s true nature. By this point, Trump has fully internalized Cohn’s philosophy that power and winning are the only real values.
Perhaps most revealing are the parallel narratives of Trump’s relationship with Cohn and his political ascendance. As Cohn succumbs to AIDS, Trump publicly distances himself from his mentor. Yet in pursuing the presidency, Trump ultimately becomes a more extreme version of Cohn, completely surrendering his original ideals to the raw pursuit of power and dominance.
The film’s technical brilliance lies in its visual metaphors, particularly its use of mirrors and reflections to highlight the growing gap between appearance and reality in both Trump’s personal life and his political messaging. The gradual shift from warm to cold color palettes mirrors Trump’s internal transformation from idealist to cynical power seeker.
Through this deeply personal story, the film offers a broader commentary on American society and its relationship with truth, power, and self-image. Trump emerges as both a product and amplifier of America’s obsession with winning at any cost, even at the expense of its foundational values.
By focusing on Trump’s psychological evolution rather than policy positions, the film transcends partisan politics to explore universal themes about the corrupting nature of power and the dangers of confusing image with substance. It suggests that Trump’s rise represents not an aberration but rather the logical conclusion of certain tendencies within American culture.