Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a daily column that runs on Page 1 of The Asahi Shimbun.
April 10, 2025 at 15:21 JST
Donald Trump greets then Liberal Democratic Party Vice President Taro Aso at Trump Tower in New York City on the afternoon of April 23, 2024. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
Surprisingly, “Citizen Kane” was U.S. President Donald Trump’s favorite film 23 years ago
“Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are” is a famous quote attributed to French gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826).
If I may borrow this line, I could say, “Tell me your favorite film and I will tell you what you are.”
However, when applied to Trump, I am left utterly confused.
His favorite film is said to be “Citizen Kane.”
An iconic black-and-white masterpiece directed by and starring Orson Welles (1915-1985), it was released in the United States in 1941.
The protagonist, Charles Foster Kane, inherits enormous wealth. An extraordinarily charismatic and dynamic entrepreneur, he becomes a newspaper publisher and industry magnate, and builds a palatial mansion.
I certainly see some similarities with Trump.
The film does not have a happy ending. Kane runs unsuccessfully for governor of New York; the woman he truly loves leaves him eventually, and he dies alone.
What attracted Trump to this sad story?
An interview video from 23 years ago, when his title was “businessman,” is quite interesting.
Trump said to the effect, “I learned from 'Citizen Kane' that life isn’t just about getting rich. Kane wasn’t happy. Wealth makes people isolated. I can understand that.”
Trump’s “reciprocal tariffs” went into effect on April 9. This may have been an important milestone in his political quest to “make America wealthy again.”
But by staffing the inner sanctum of his administration with only his most trusted aides, Trump looks as if he has isolated himself from the rest of the world.
Trump said that his favorite scene in “Citizen Kane” is at the start of the film, where an old and dying Kane utters just one word: “Rosebud.”
This word symbolizes Kane’s liberation from loneliness and sorrow. I wonder how it sounds to Trump’s ears now.
—The Asahi Shimbun, April 10
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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
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