Donald Trump’s second victory is even more remarkable than his first. The first was unexpected. He captured magic in a bottle. But magic comes once in a lifetime. The second time, he had to fight for it, sometimes fight what seemed like the whole world, especially the media. Fight and win. Love him or hate him, Trump is America’s real-life ‘Rocky.’
Mention Rocky and you can hear the original theme song playing in your head. You can picture him running up the steps to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, throwing his fists in the air like a champion.
That’s how legends are made.
Every culture creates its myths. We write books, plays and movies about our heroes. That’s what Sylvester Stallone did. He crafted a perfect Hollywood myth – an everyman who overcomes all odds to become a champ, to become larger than life. There is no one alive today larger than life more than Trump.
When ‘Rocky’ was released on Dec. 3, 1976, it became the perfect American story. An ordinary boxer who got a title shot from a champ who planned to mop the floor with him. Trump was a mere 30 then, building his own legend.
The Rocky saga – nine movies so far – is similar to the political life of The Donald. Rocky lost his first big fight. Then he won the championship. He got beaten again against a bigger, tougher Clubber Lang, played by Mr. T, in ‘Rocky III.’ Then Rocky had to take back what had been his. Along the way, he learned how to be a husband, a father and, yes, even a diplomat.
Trump’s career arc has been much the same. He came from money, there’s no denying that. But he built The Donald himself. A Nov. 1, 1976, New York Times piece about the future president admitted as much: ‘Donald Trump, Real Estate Promoter, Builds Image as He Buys Buildings.’ He’s had his share of mistakes and failures, heroes always do.
Just weeks before ‘Rocky’ hit the theater, the Times was describing a young Trump in ways he couldn’t buy today with all his cash: ‘He is tall, lean and blond, with dazzling white teeth, and he looks ever so much like Robert Redford. He rides around town in a chauffeured silver Cadillac with his initials, DJT, on the plates.’
That was the beginning of the Trump we know. He grew larger with media appearances and self-promotion. The press loved him because he symbolized the business community and was a great interview. He turned that celebrity into books, TV and movie spots, including a humorous cameo in ‘Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.’
