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Jeet Heer/
October 24, 2016


IS DONALD TRUMP THE FABLED SNAKE?

David McNew/Getty Images


In his speeches, Trump often recites the lyrics of the 1968 Al Wilson song “The
Snake,” written by Oscar Brown, Jr. A variation of the fable “The Scorpion and
the Frog,” the song tells the story of a naive woman who takes in a wounded
snake, only to be betrayed by the predator who bites her and says, “You knew
damn well I was a snake before you took me in.” From the point of view of Trump
and his supporters, the meaning of the song is this: The United States can’t let
in Muslim refugees because they are irrevocably hostile and will turn on those
who help them.

But this weekend, an old Trump tweet was recirculated that offers a new layer of
meaning to his use of the story.



In “The Scorpion and the Frog,” the scorpion bites the frog even though the act
will lead both to drown. He justifies himself by saying, “It’s my nature.”



The identical phrasing is uncanny. It’s almost as if Trump, in some corner of
his brain, is aware that he himself is the snake or the scorpion who was too
readily accepted by credulous Republicans. That he knows Republicans were wrong
to put their faith in a creature who is by his nature both destructive and
self-destructive.

Jeet Heer @HeerJeet

Jeet Heer is a contributing editor at the The New Republic.


Read More:
Donald Trump, Election 2016, Politics, Al Wilson, Owen Brown, Jr.


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