Insert Appropriate Hamilton Reference Here

So, I recently started listening to the Hamilton soundtrack. I know. I’m late to the game. I’ve kind of been avoiding it due to the parental advisory sticker on the case. I’m old enough to ignore it, but I avoid it on principal because I don’t like listening to people curse. The history buff in me finally decided to give it a chance, and I actually kind of liked it despite the cursing. Honestly though, was all the cursing really necessary? Don’t answer that.
Anyway, this blog isn’t about my issues with the language. It’s about something else entirely. As many people know, after the presidential election results came out, then Vice President-elect Mike Pence got called out by the Hamilton cast while he was attending a show with his daughter and other family members. This prompted the rest of the audience to boo him. Afterwards, Pence’s running mate Donald Trump sent out tweets demanding apologies.
This blog isn’t about whether or not the cast, the audience, or Trump behaved appropriately during the whole fiasco. Nope. Instead, this blog is about the irony of the fact that the fiasco happened at all. After doing some research on Alexander Hamilton (which admittedly was mostly done on Wikipedia and TVtropes), I came to the conclusion that Trump actually has a lot of characteristics in common with Alexander Hamilton, historically and as portrayed in the musical.
Before anyone complains, I would like to clarify that this blog wasn’t made to discredit Alexander Hamilton or elevate Donald Trump. They are who they are and what they are. Deal with it. Maybe my thoughts would be better organized in list form.

1. They’re both outspoken and prone to shooting off their mouths.
2. They’re polarizing and divisive.
3. They’re abrasive.
4. They’re arrogant.
5. They’re unapologetic and uncompromising.
6. They have/had fiery tempers.
7. They wear/wore their emotions on their sleeves.
8. They have/had unpopular opinions. (Keep reading.)
9. They’re difficult to like. (Let’s be honest. Even with the musical’s Historical Hero Upgrade, Hamilton is insufferable.)
10. They have/had a weird obsession with fixing troubling financial situations.
11. They work(ed) non-stop. (Say what you want about Trump’s policies, but the guy never seems to take a break. )
12. They put America’s best interest before those of other countries. (If I remember correctly from AP U.S. History, Hamilton and the other Federalists wanted to keep America out of foreign affairs because they believed that the young country didn’t have the resources to handle getting involved. However, Hamilton and the Federalists supported forming an alliance with Great Britain because they’re ex-enemy had more to offer in terms of stability, power, and resources. Considering that the Democratic-Republicans first choice for a foreign ally was in the middle of the Reign of Terror at the time, from a pragmatic standpoint, Hamilton wasn’t wrong.)
13. They have/had trust issues regarding immigrants. (I know the musical hypes up Hamilton’s immigrant background, but in reality, Hamilton wasn’t open to giving immigrants citizenship to the newly formed U.S.)
14. They attempt(ed) to garner political support from Christians. (I’ve noticed that Trump repeatedly ends his speeches in “God bless America” and that he can quote Scripture more accurately than Hilary Clinton. Additionally, Alexander Hamilton once accused Thomas Jefferson of atheism.)
15. They distrust(ed) the public. (If I remember right from AP U.S. History, Hamilton doubted the public’s ability to make good political decisions, mostly because a vast majority of the public at that time was uneducated. Trump distrusts the public because a good chunk of the media seems to enjoy painting him in a VERY negative light.)
16. They came to power and influence at rather unusual ages. (Hamilton was one of America’s youngest Founding Fathers. Trump is currently past 70.)

I’m sure we can find more similarities with more research, but I think I’ve listed enough to make my point. Quite honestly, I feel kind of sad that the fiasco happened at all. I haven’t listened to the entire soundtrack yet, but the biggest take-away that I got from it is that America’s Founding Fathers were flawed, complicated people who made a ton of mistakes, but they all wanted to make America a great place to live for everyone who came after them. They didn’t always agree on the best way to do it, but good gracious, they sure tried. The other take-away is that history as we know it doesn’t always tell the whole story. The people we now look up to as heroes weren’t always saints, and the people we malign as villains weren’t always sinners. The whole Trump vs. Hamilton situation just goes to show how quickly we forget all that when we’re scared enough.
Look, Trump wasn’t my first choice for President , and he’s got A LOT going against him. I mean, he’s a white racist, sexist, male billionaire in an America where the neighborhoods are becoming more colorful, the gap between rock bottom and upper crust keeps getting bigger, and the line between male and female is beginning to get blurry. Furthermore, they don’t call him the Orange Gorilla for no reason. However, I don’t think he’s the villain practically everyone is afraid he is.
I’m not going to pretend I understand everything that’s happening right now. I’m also not going to pretend that Trump’s actions won’t have negative repercussions. However, I am open to the possibility that Trump may get vindicated by history. I mean, Alexander Hamilton did, and he had a lot going against him, too (I’m sure you’ve listened to the soundtrack so often that you’ve practically memorized the introductory line by now. In addition to all that, Hamilton was also an elitist during a time when the common man was asserting his power.). I know Trump’s a mess, and I know America’s a mess, but I’m not ready to write off either just yet. This country, by some miracle, has lasted for over 200 years, and if God’s willing, Donald Trump isn’t going to dismantle it in one go.

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Possible Appropriate Titles:
1. And If There’s a Reason Trump is in Charge when so Many Have Tried, Then I’m Willing to…(Yes, it’s terribly long for a title, but I find it fittingly funny because a lot of people did try for the Presidency last year. )
2. Trump Doesn’t Hesitate, He Exhibits No Restraint, and He Keeps Winning Anyway (Yet another terribly long, hilariously true title )
3. Life Doesn’t Discriminate between the Secretaries and the Presidents (I was listening to “Wait for It” while I was writing this blog. I’ll admit that this one’s a bit of a stretch. )
4. History Has its Eyes on Trump
5. Free Ammunition (Excuse me while I go hide in my bunker. )