Let's think — which contemporary figure dominating both popular and political culture would George R.R. Martin, the author of the "A Song of Ice and Fire" books that inspired HBO's hit series "Game of Thrones" compare his most reviled, petulant character, King Joffrey Baratheon, to? Who would inspire the famously liberal scribe to recall the spoiled, golden-haired child of privilege who ineptly ruled his kingdom on a platform anchored on personal spite, unearned self regard and little else? Who indeed?
Well, as Martin told "Esquire" magazine in a recent profile on "Game of Thrones" star Kit Harrington, "I think Joffrey is now the king in America." Yes, he imagines President Donald Trump to be the real-life embodiment of his very petty tyrant. You knew this was coming, didn't you?
Martin continued, telling the magazine's Logan Hill, "And he's grown up just as petulant and irrational as he was when he was thirteen in the books." Again, little surprise there.
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Harrington, who plays the noble Jon Snow in the series, noted that he wanted to avoid discussing politics with Logan, but nonetheless added, "Mr. Donald Trump — I wouldn't call him President, I'll call him Mister." The Briton continued, "I think this man at the head of your country is a con artist."
Comparing the two flaxen-haired rulers has been a longstanding sport in the meme-producing corners of the Internet. Still, hearing from the final authority on Joffrey — someone characterized as cruel monarch obsessed with gold, ignorant of his entitlement and unsympathetic to anyone and everyone who does not kowtow to him in every way possible — that there's a strong line between the two heads of state can't help but elicit a smile from "Thrones" fans and Trump haters alike.
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