Essays

Zeus in The White House: Over klassieke mythen en moderne goden

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Abstract

In this article, I explore how classical mythology is being deployed in online discourse about the American presidency. First, I discuss how AI depictions of Trump as Zeus informally use Zeus’ status as a supreme god to redefine the presidency as a form of royal power. Next, I examine how Trump’s female opponents in the previous two presidential campaigns, Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris, have been compared to Medusa. I argue that online memes of Medusa stigmatize and dehumanize women in power, intrinsically reframing masculinity as aggressive and condescending misogyny. Finally, I explore Trump’s relationship with Elon Musk, another powerful businessman who has long been viewed by technophiles as a modern-day Prometheus. The mythical association of Trump and Zeus on the one hand, and Musk and Prometheus on the other, highlights how leadership is being redefined as a business among men but also as inherently competitive. This discussion reveals that contemporary references to mythology are not merely fossilized references to cultural background noise, but a powerful means of informally influencing contemporary political discourse via social media.

How to Cite:

Bracke, E., (2026) “Zeus in The White House: Over klassieke mythen en moderne goden”, Tetradio 34(1), 63-85. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/tetradio.94716