Disney World Might Get an Animatronic Donald Trump and People Are NOT Happy

If there are two things that deeply unsettle me in this godforsaken world, they are 1) our wee-hooved satyr of a president and 2) animatronic characters. So naturally, here’s a story that combines them both.

Over at Disney World, drama has been a-brewing at the park’s Hall of Presidents attraction. As you may know, the show consists of a short film on US history narrated by Morgan Freeman followed by the unveiling of an uncanny valley-tingling sight: animatronic versions of every single US president, who all nod as their names are announced. Since Bill Clinton was added in 1993, every new robot president has recited a speech at the end of the presentation. But now that Donald Trump is president there’s been a bit of an uproar about whether or not he will be added, and, if he is, whether or not he will be giving a speech at the end.

Over a dozen various Change.org petitions, including one that has garnered over 14,000 signatures, have called for Donald Trump to either not be added to the attraction or to not give a speech at the end of the show. While Disney has confirmed that there will be a Trump robot, according to Motherboard, there’s a good chance Trump will not be delivering a speech. Via Motherboard:

“Given how polarizing the president is right now, Disney Parks & Resorts is currently trying to find [a solution] that approaches middle ground,” said the source in an interview with Motherboard. “They want to include our 45th commander-in-chief in this 45-year-old theme park attraction, while at the same time, not seem to endorse or support some of Trump’s more controversial policies.”

Of course, there are more practical reasons for not including Trump’s speech, like not being able to book time with him to record it, which I didn’t even think of. I’m not sure why I assumed that they just get impersonators for all of the presidents, though I honestly don’t know what’s worse: Trump’s actual voice or the myriad of bad and embarrassing Trump impressions.

At least we can take solace in the fact that Trump-bot will surely leak and inadvertently foil the robot uprising all the other robo-presidents are definitely planning when they’re not terrifying children.

 
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