Donald Trump and the Evil Queen in Snow White share two overriding traits: their psychological narcissism and their penchant for retribution. You may think it’s strange to have a fairy-tale-like character as President of the United States but it is what it is. As the duck test tells us: “If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.”
In Snow White, the Queen’s entire sense of worth depends on what the mirror tells her. She cannot bear the idea that someone else might be “fairer.” Trump’s behavior mirrors this in his constant demand for adulation and public affirmation. His “mirror” is not made of glass, but of poll numbers, television ratings, crowd sizes and social media applause not to mention over-the-top praise from cabinet members (the seven dwarfs), Republican Senators and Congressmen at every opportunity. This, of course, makes him easy prey to those who know how to play him, and this can be dangerous as we’ve seen with the likes of Vladimir Putin, Ghislaine Maxwell, and other nefarious characters.
When Trump’s preferred metrics do not reflect back his imagined superiority, he lashes out. Like the Queen, who seeks to destroy the rival that threatens her image, Trump often targets anyone, former allies, journalists, judges, who fails to praise him or dares to contradict his narrative.
Both the Queen and Trump make policy and decisions not from principle, but from wounded vanity. Trump’s political decisions frequently align with the need to dominate and to punish those who diminish him. Whether it’s his obsession with overturning perceived slights (“rigged elections,” “witch hunts”) or his vow to use the justice system to pursue enemies, the motivation resembles the Queen’s poisoned-apple logic: if reality won’t validate me, I’ll destroy those who reveal it.
In this light, Trump’s administration and campaign rhetoric can be seen as an ongoing “mirror war,” an attempt to control the reflection the public sees. Disinformation, loyalty tests, and attacks on institutions all serve to endure the mirror speaks his truth, not the country’s.
When the Queen cannot stand Snow White’s innocence and beauty, she turns to vengeance—disguising herself to deliver the poisoned apple. Trump’s promise of “retribution” functions similarly. He rebrands personal grievance as public justice by forming enemies lists (journalists, prosecutors, political rivals) and uses threats of revenge investigations and efforts to erode independent institutions (universities, the media, judges, and Congress). He governs not for America’s benefit but for his.
Ultimately, the Queen is undone by the illusion that truth can be controlled. She projects her own darkness onto Snow White, just as Trump projects his flaws (corruption, deceit, disloyalty) onto opponents. His constant refrain that others are “crooked,” “fake,” or “traitors” functions as the mirror talking back, reflecting his own image distorted by projection.
In Snow White, the Queen’s mirror becomes her undoing. She cannot escape the truth that another has surpassed her. In Trump’s political world, his mirror (public opinion, legal scrutiny, and the illusive separation of powers and checks on his overreach) have not yet proved to be his undoing. Given his extreme hubris, perhaps that mirror will turn on him. His tragedy, mistaking feigned admiration for love and fear for power may ultimately prove to be his undoing.
Or not. Even after a quarter of a millennium, America remains an ongoing experiment, a self-governing republic based on Enlightenment ideals like liberty and equality. Such a republic is historically rare and fragile and there are no guarantees that it will survive. Our nation is an ongoing experiment, not a finished project. It is constantly evolving and requires public engagement to correct mistakes and to include all its people in the promise of freedom.
Do we really want someone with so many of the qualities of the Evil Queen in Snow White to guide us into the future? I wish I was more optimistic. I do not see the moral arch of the universe bending toward justice. What I see is the hypocrisy of self-proclaimed Christians tolerating and in some cases celebrating the denigration of the very commandments they claim to follow. What I see is the hypocrisy of a Republican Party that once proclaimed belief in libertarian and capitalist values now turning their heads while the President flouts them by imposing tariffs on the American people without the approval of Congress, by sending Federal troops into states against the wishes of the people, engaging in acts of war in the Caribbean without the approval of Congress, and terrorizing not just immigrants who have lived and worked here for a lifetime but also U.S. citizens without regard for their rights.
I have little hope, but I will hold on to the little hope I have and I will leave you with a personal version of one of the greatest poems by one of the greatest poets I know.
I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand:
Till we have built Jerusalem [a true republic],
In Englands [America’s] green & pleasant Land.