J. R. R. Tolkien wrote the beloved “The Lord of the Rings” series, better known now as one of the most successful movie franchises of all time. The story is an epic of Homeric proportions, grappling with the most powerful themes of the Western canon. Above all, it is a warning that absolute power corrupts absolutely — a lesson liberals today seem to have forgotten. Given this, contemporary conservatives often lay claim to Tolkien, the avowed traditionalist and devout Catholic. While it would be an oversimplification of his work to peg him into any partisan box, his timeless allegories still hold lessons for today.
There’s nothing the left loves more than perverting tradition to meet their worldview. Theirs is a parasitic ideology, attaching to preexisting foundations, whatever they may be, and turning them inside out. Good is bad, right is wrong, sin is virtue in the current cultural moment under leftist hegemony, as we saw only too recently in the Superbowl “He Gets Us” ad. Progressives took the Christian principle of loving thy neighbor, and weaponized it to enforce their ideological narrative; there’s a reason we saw a priest washing a gay man’s feet, but not an FBI agent washing the feet of a man in a MAGA hat.
So perhaps it was only a matter of time before they went after “The Lord of the Rings,” the most influential conservative cultural work of the 20th century. An admittedly hilarious post on Twitter went viral Thursday comparing Donald Trump to Saruman and President Joe Biden to Gandalf.
But they’re BOTH so OLD! Gandalf can barely remember his passwords and even forgot that people called him Gandalf (yikes), while Saruman betrayed the Free Peoples of middle-earth and led an insurrection that stormed Helm’s Deep. You can see how they’re equally bad choices. pic.twitter.com/NL60WbpYUD
— JRR Jokien (@joshcarlosjosh) February 15, 2024
For those who somehow have never seen the film, Gandalf is the wise wizard who guides the ring-bearer Frodo and the Fellowship on their quest to destroy the one ring — the force of ultimate evil and power that the Dark Lord Sauron would use to conquer all of Middle Earth. Various interpretations peg him as either an Angel of God or a metaphor for Christ-like resurrection, as he dies Gandalf the Gray and returns as the far more powerful Gandalf the White. Alternatively, Saruman was once Gandalf’s mentor, until forsakes all that is good and allies with Sauron.
The Twitter post references a common leftist talking point: that Biden’s age doesn’t matter because Trump is such a grave threat to democracy. Remember, after he came back as a White wizard, Gandalf temporarily “forgot that people called him Gandalf,” while Saruman “led an insurrection.” Both are “equally bad choices,” the post snarks.
But as any true “Lord of the Rings” fan will tell you, this is a load of crap: OBVIOUSLY, Trump is Gandalf and Biden is Saruman.
If you’ve seen Biden talk ominously about his political opponents lately, it becomes clear that he is more like the dark wizard Saruman. Saruman let in millions of military-age, fighting Uruk-hai into the land to do his bidding, just as Biden now brazenly imports millions of illegal immigrants. Saruman is at war with nature, destroying the Ents of Fangorn Forest to support his evil plans, just as Biden seeks a pagan battle with nature in his doomed quest to fight climate change. (RELATED: Biden Thinks ‘Nobody Made A Mistake’ During Afghanistan Withdrawal, New Book Claims)
Most importantly, they both betrayed all he swore to protect. Saruman was meant to be a wise guardian for all of Middle Earth, just as the president is meant to be to the American people. After years of loyal service (or, partisan hackery) both lost their way. Saruman allied with Sauron to destroy Middle Earth and rebuild it in his image, just as Biden did with his far-left base, which would love nothing more than to do the same thing to America.
On the other hand…
Like Gandalf the Gray, Trump started as a less powerful figure compared to those who would destroy him. Gandalf started his journey mingling with the common folk, the hobbits of the Shire, although he didn’t quite fit in— while Trump too resonated with the small town average American despite being a New York billionaire. All the while, the dark forces of Mordor, as well as those in the Deep State, were quietly plotting domination. Both sought total control over the realm. As the evil revealed itself, Trump, like Gandalf, embarked on a journey to save the common people. They led movements to resist the darkness and began alerting the people of the threat that was brewing.
Despite a successful first leg of the journey, Gandalf fell to the demon Balrog in the Mines of Moria to protect his companions. He underestimated his opponent; believing him vanquished, he turned his back too soon and the demon reached out to pull him down to the depths of the mine. He perished but returned more powerful as Gandalf the White to unify the races of Middle Earth and lead them to ultimate victory, where the good, the true, and the traditional way of life prevails.
On this day in T.A. 3019: Gandalf tells the Balrog, “You cannot pass!” They battle, but Gandalf falls after telling the Fellowship “Fly, you fools!” Led by Aragorn, they head to Lothlórien. #OTD #LOTR #Tolkien
Image: New Line Cinema pic.twitter.com/e83mnuTdZm
— Tolkien Society (@TolkienSociety) January 15, 2021
Donald Trump too underestimated his opponents in the first leg of his journey. Like Gandalf, he stood in the breach, drawing all the fire from the Deep State, Democrats, media and oligarchs — a demonic force themselves. They ousted him and spent the last three years dragging him to the depths of hell with weaponized prosecutions and political warfare. He has not yet returned as a White wizard, but as in any epic tale, the foreshadowing is there for all to see. The Trump movement remains strong, despite the dark forces throwing all it can muster at him, and he appears set to lead a multiracial return to the American First tradition next year. (RELATED: ‘Compelling Inference Of A Political Motive’: Trump Files Response To Smith’s SCOTUS Brief)
He is the only figure who stands in the way of a utopian progressive movement that would love nothing more than the one ring, “the power to rule them all.”