Creativity in the Trump Years

Creativity in the Trump Years. A Reflection.

I remember the first time it hit me that my comedy had to change. Shortly after the election in 2016, I was performing at the White Rabbit in Indianapolis. That place is like a second home and is my favorite place to work on material. It’s super hip and a hotbed of artistic expression. I call it the Berkeley of Indianapolis. I was still navigating the best way to joke about this new Trump world we now found ourselves in. The exact joke escapes me but I know I mockingly said, “I’m one of those Black Trump supporter unicorns!” and right away a lady in the front row yelled “HELL YEA!” “Wait. Do you think I’m serious?” I asked. “Make America Great Again!” she yelled. I was so caught off guard. At the Berkeley of Indianapolis of all places!

It’s only been five years but 2015 feels as if it was a decade ago. Early that year, I was picked to perform at a national showcase in Chicago called “Laughter Trumps Hate” for the progressive advocacy group, Moveon.org. They had arranged shows around the country of comics that were selected because of their Trump material. I arrived at Zanies in the Old Town neighborhood in Chicago and hung with the other comics in the green room before the show. All armed with our hot-takes, we bantered about how you don’t really see pro-Trump comedians. One comic mentioned Tim Allen. “Sure,” I acknowledged. “But his best friend is a talking forehead, so his judgment can’t be trusted.” It’s funny to build camaraderie from the mutual hatred of another human. I’m sure it…