Inspired by Donald Trump’s responses during the third presidential debate, Twitter users are humorously attempting to explain great works of literature through the Republican’s eyes using #TrumpBookReport.
The idea seemed to have been spawned from a widely shared tweet from Antonio French, a city alderman and mayoral candidate in St Louis, Missouri, criticizing Trump for his vague, surface-level remarks during the debate.
“Trump’s foreign policy answers sound like a book report from a teenager who hasn’t read the book,” French wrote on Wednesday night. “Oh, the grapes! They had so much wrath!”
The debate was the final opportunity for Trump and Hillary Clinton to spar on national television ahead of election day, and plenty of other remarks from the Republican nominee inspired their own widespread online reactions. Many began sharing hair memes after Trump called for removing “bad hombres” (or perhaps he said “ombrés”) from the US.
After Trump called Clinton a “nasty woman”, many on Twitter quickly moved to reclaim the term, making it their username or hoping for T-shirts. More than 100 products have already been marketed on Etsy using variations of the quote, with “Nasty Women Vote” T-shirts, buttons and coffee mugs. Trump’s insult was an unintended boon for singer Janet Jackson and her 1986 song Nasty. A spokesperson for Spotify told Quartz streams of her song spiked 250% after the debate.
The book report joke caught on quickly in replies to French’s tweet, with riffs on Moby-Dick, Catcher in the Rye, Of Mice And Men and the Great Gatsby, before becoming its own trending hashtag. The imagined book reports took on some of Trump’s rhetoric, from his campaign slogan, self-promotional tendencies to his disparaging comments about women.
I've never had a problem finding Waldo, Never. Ask anyone. I always find Waldo. #TrumpBookReport
— Bill Fryer (@BillOnFryer) October 20, 2016
There was a Lion, okay? King of the Jungle. And the Witch? Lemme tell you, nasty. And the Wardrobe, so luxurious. The best. #trumpbookreport
— Richard Winters (@rwinter2) October 20, 2016
"TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD? Believe me-if those mockingbirds had guns they wouldn't have been killed."#TrumpBookReport
— Gloria Bernstein (@GloriaBB2) October 20, 2016
Little Women? Look at their Facebook page. That Jo walked in front of me, and I don't think so, folks, I don't think so. #TrumpBookReport
— Jennifer Weiner (@jenniferweiner) October 20, 2016
Fault? These stars are a disaster. A disaster, let me tell you. Believe me, I'm going to make stars great again. #TrumpBookReport
— Maureen Johnson (@maureenjohnson) October 20, 2016
Those poor heights. They were wuthering. Wuthering so bad. Bigly wuthering. I'll make them great again. #TrumpBookReport @AntonioFrench
— Callie (@calliembush) October 20, 2016
Nowhere does it say that anything actually happened between Lolita and Humbert, it was just boy talk. #TrumpBookReport
— Summer Brennan (@summerbrennan) October 20, 2016
Lady Macbeth. Nasty woman. Blood coming out of her wherever. #TrumpBookReport
— Lauren Holmes (@lholmes12) October 20, 2016
Gatsby? He says he was great. I don't know. People are saying maybe not so great. I'll make Gatsby great again. #trumpbookreport
— Brian Francis (@briandfrancis) October 20, 2016
It took Low Energy Harry Potter 7 books to defeat Voldermort. Sad! I would have beat him in the first book! #TrumpBookReport
— Historical Trump (@HistoryDTrump) October 20, 2016
Voldemort was a good man. A good man. People say I'm like him, that's good. But Hermione was a nasty, nasty woman. #TrumpBookReport
— Amber Kirk-Ford (@MileLongBookS) October 20, 2016
Oedipus. Tremendous leader. The best. I've always said that if Jocasta were my mother, perhaps I'd be dating her. #TrumpBookReport
— kyla crowther (@whatkylasaid) October 20, 2016