Everything
Nowadays, a millionaire businessman running for office is no longer taboo. Neither is an accomplished rapper. The last four years have proved that almost anyone can become President and lead millions of citizens through war, terrorism and disease – well, sort of. Late last month Christian Bale likened his 2000 American Psycho character, Patrick Bateman, to a possible presidential candidate, and it almost seems likely.
During a 20-year commemoration of the film, Bale took part in Movie Maker’s oral history of the film, admitting that his character would most definitely run for president. Bateman was known to be a hungry, Wall Street investment banker who would hide his psychopathic ego from the world and soon enough he submits to his horror-filled fantasies. Bale explained that the banker looked to strong power figures which also included Tom Cruise. In the 1991 novel from Brett Easton Ellis, the character clearly idolises the ’80s Donald Trump.
“I mean, look, if someone had landed at that time and he was looking around for cultural alpha males, business-world alpha males, et cetera, then Tom Cruise certainly would have been one of those that he would have looked at and aspired to be and attempted to emulate,” Bale said.
“Likewise, Donald Trump would have been somebody he would have looked at and said, ‘Ah, right. I need to have a little bit of that as well,’” Bale continued. “If Bateman were around today he’d probably be inspired to run for president.”
One reddit user noticed the eery similarities two years ago, posting, “Reading American Psycho with Donald Trump as president is even more terrifying than the book in its original context…”. Even Ivanka Trump admitted to the New York Magazine that her “ideal man”, was Bale’s Bateman in the film.
So, would he win an election? Well, minus the murderous tendencies and similarities to the current US President, he could have been.
