
The Malignant Presidency: Donald Trump’s White House Set to Satirical First Person Poetry is a whimsical and extremely irreverent collection of poems satirising the Donald J Trump Presidency, from the pen of William Robinson. Although very short the volume is jam-packed with derogatory and critical poetry covering the lead-up to and the first two years of Trump’s presidency. Most of the poems are written from the perspective of Trump, in the first person, although there are a smattering of others from the major players; e.g. Obama, Clinton, Comey and Mueller. The collection is perhaps as up to date (at the moment) as we can possibly expect with many of the uproar and angst of 2018 recorded in verse. Unapologetically a Trump derider, there is nothing in this collection that would excite or inspire his base, but it does “poke the borax” at the situation in a way that many politicians (from both sides of the aisle) probably wish they were able to do.
As a interested bystander, someone who is not an American, but who has been caught up in the daily “soap opera” (on television and in print) that emanates from this White House, I found The Malignant Presidency: Donald Trump’s White House Set to Satirical First Person Poetry to be a brave attempt to put a satirical spin on what is possibly a “clear and present danger” to the United States and indeed, the Free World. The volume is way too short and it seemed like just as I was getting into William Robinson’s style and rhythm, when sadly, it was all over. I note this is Volume 1, so I’m sure we can expect more from this author as the presidency moves inexorably into its second half and potentially into deep, dark and uncharted waters. I can’t help but feel the author was using this medium to allow himself to vent and release some of the intense frustrations that over half the population clearly feel at the direction of this president and the country as a whole. I share the author’s concerns and await the next two years with considerable trepidation. Robinson pulls no punches in this exposition, so if you are easily offended you may want to give it a miss, but seriously, I would urge all MAGA and Trump supporters to read and reflect on it. You may pause for a moment to question the man’s real motivations in this presidency and, if you do, the author has probably succeeded in his mission.
