The last laugh

Mark Hamill’s hilarious tribute to Donald Trump

By Brittney MacDonald, Life & Style Editor

Poking fun at Donald Trump has become something of a national pastime, both in America and up here in Canada. I mean, what else are we supposed to do, hide under a rock till the next presidential election? As tempting as that sounds, taking the next four years off to hermit crab ourselves away somewhere isn’t really an option for most of us. So, I offer you an alternative, and I’m pretty sure it’s one you’re going to like.

If you have ever read some of Trump’s tweets and you were reminded of some of the most glorious supervillains the comic book world has to offer, don’t worry—you’re not alone. I mean, it’s pretty hard to miss the similarities with lines like “Happy New Year to all, including my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they just don’t know what to do,” which was Trump’s actual New Year’s Eve tweet, and the one that sparked writer Matt Oswalt’s imagination. Oswalt replied to the tweet with one of his own, saying “This sounds like something the Joker would say right before releasing a swarm of killer bees into Gotham,” and then stated his desire to hear some of Trump’s more famous tweets read aloud in the Joker’s iconic voice, which has been provided by Star Wars actor Mark Hamill for over 15 years.

Never one to back down from a ridiculous request, Hamill obliged, and has been releasing short video clips over his Twitter (@HamillHimself) of him reading various Trump tweets, including the New Year’s one that originally peaked Oswalt’s interest.

Unfortunately, due to the politically motivated nature of most streaming or video services, most compilations of the audio of these tweets are almost always immediately taken down. A few short ones can be found on YouTube, but only ones that have been cut or heavily edited to appear more like a streaming news service. It’s a loop hole in YouTube’s terms of service that some people who wish to share the story have exploited—but it also means that you may have to listen to some annoying person talk over top of the initial audio itself. For now, the only way to view the readings themselves is through Hamill’s personal twitter.