Donald Trump's very existence may be an outlandish joke on humanity, but if not for Hurricane Isaac, he may have taken things even further. His "big surprise" for the Republican National Convention, which was canceled due to weather, seems to be quite similar to an ironic, over-the-top joke Tim Heidecker (of the duo Tim & Eric) told about Trump in a comedy routine last year.
For months, Trump had been teasing the media with a "big surprise" he had planned for the RNC in Tampa. In true Trump fashion, he declined to offer any specifics, only promises of grandiosity. But Salon's Alex Pareene was the first to speculate that the "surprise" would amount to Trump "firing" an Obama impersonator, based on said impersonator Kevin Michel posting a picture with Trump on his Facebook page.
Get it? Because on his TV show, "The Apprentice," Trump's catchphrase is "you're fired!" which is not at all gimmicky and very statesmanlike.
If this sounds like a terrible joke, Tim Heidecker is one step ahead of you. On his Adult Swim show "Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!", Heidecker and partner Eric Wareheim would frequently subvert typical humor conventions, and as a solo performer, Heidecker goes after the same targets. He regularly performs an unorthodox "hack comedian" stand-up routine in live settings, in which he takes on the persona of an open-mic comedian with banal observations on things like Coke vs. Pepsi and the differences between men and women.
When Trump flirted with running for president, Heidecker had a routine endorsing "Donald Trumps" for president. And the "you're fired" catchphrase was its "comedic" centerpiece. He would end the routine by envisioning a scenario where Trump would "fire" Obama (around 5:00 in the video above):
And finally, this is the greatest. This is the first thing he'd do. On Inauguration Day, he'd turn to Obama, and he'd go, "You're fired!"
In the video above, the audience is in on the joke, purposefully heckling him to add to his nervous act. And yet, all signs point to Trump turning this hacky joke into a reality -- at the Republican National Convention, no less.
Unfortunately, the delayed schedule to account for Hurricane Isaac caused convention organizers to cancel Trump's speaking spot (you could even say that they fired him). But who knows? With Trump, we never can totally rule out when and where he'll show up. And when he does, it will surely be a big surprise.
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