5 min readNew DelhiAug 16, 2020 04:41 PM IST
First published on: Aug 16, 2020 at 04:41 PM IST
The Simpsons, one of the longest running animated shows, is not just famous for its uncanny ability to predict the future but also known for mocking public figures and celebrities — US President Donald Trump being one of them. Recently, the series matriarch Marge Simpsons hit out at Trump election campaign adviser Jenna Ellis for comparing her with Kamala Harris and said she felt “disrespected”. The retort has led to a full blown war on Twitter, and all are divided.
“I usually don’t get into politics, but the president’s senior adviser, Jenna Ellis, just said Kamala Harris sounds like me,” Marge is heard saying in the clip. To which, daughter Lisa Simpson says, ”She doesn’t mean it as a compliment.”
“If that’s so, as an ordinary suburban housewife, I’m starting to feel a little disrespected,” Marge said. “I teach my children not to name call, Jenna.” The housewife remark was a reference to a tweet by Trump earlier this week. The US President said the “‘suburban housewife’ will be voting for me” because he “ended the long running program where low income housing would invade their neighborhood”.
As the half-minute clip ended, an off-camera Marge is heard saying: “I was gonna say I’m pissed off, but I’m afraid they’d bleep it.”
It all started when Trump’s aide Jenna Ellis recently claimed that Democratic party’s vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris “sounds like Marge Simpson”.
The video got a lot of attention online, with more than five millions views. Ellis herself later joked that Marge was “probably going to vote Democrat… by mail” reacting to the retort video.
The message from Marge riled many Trump supporters, who dubbed the clap back video as “cringe worthy” and asked Marge to “stay out of this”. Conservative radio show host Ben Shapiro tweeted, “I’m old enough to remember when ‘The Simpsons’ was funny”. Others asked creators and the network to “cancel the show”.
However, on the other side, Harris’ supporters rallied their forces against Trump backers and rooted for Marge Simpsons, with Democratic Party strategist Adam Parkhomenko saying the Trump campaign “has been destroyed” by the iconic show’s character. However, several also argued that Harris had no reason to be offended, considering Marge was seen as a nurturing matriarch and claimed that Trump team’s dig at Harris backfired.
This isn’t the first time “The Simpsons” has decided to weigh in on the US political discourse. In 2016, they released a short spoof video taking a jab at Hillary Clinton’s famous “3 am” ad from the 2008 election cycle, which centered around a foreboding ringing telephone. Back in 2017, The Simpsons shared another short spoof video of Trump’s first 100 days in office.
In a clip posted by the hit animated show, its matriarch Marge chided a Trump campaign attorney over a tweet comparing her and Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden's pick for his running mate, Kamala Harris. (Source: AP) 
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