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| The Trump Dialogues, From a Parody Universe | The Trump Dialogues, From a Parody Universe |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| The comedy writer Owen Ellickson sent hundreds of tweets this summer as he pushed the boundaries of the year’s definitive comic genre: political parody, in miniature. | The comedy writer Owen Ellickson sent hundreds of tweets this summer as he pushed the boundaries of the year’s definitive comic genre: political parody, in miniature. |
| Mr. Ellickson, 38, who wrote for NBC’s “The Office” and CBS’s “The King of Queens” and currently works on NBC’s “Superstore,” has turned his caricature of Donald J. Trump into imagined dialogues he calls “Trump Leaks.” | Mr. Ellickson, 38, who wrote for NBC’s “The Office” and CBS’s “The King of Queens” and currently works on NBC’s “Superstore,” has turned his caricature of Donald J. Trump into imagined dialogues he calls “Trump Leaks.” |
| The scenes purport to be snippets of conversation among Mr. Trump and other well-known Republicans, including Speaker Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin and Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey. | |
| And they have vaulted the comedy writer to cult celebrity on Twitter, taking him from about 1,700 followers in early June to nearly 65,000 as of Tuesday. | And they have vaulted the comedy writer to cult celebrity on Twitter, taking him from about 1,700 followers in early June to nearly 65,000 as of Tuesday. |
| The comedian’s version of Mr. Trump is lewd, bullying and clueless, sometimes charmingly so. The character is often imagined responding to the day’s headlines, as Mr. Ellickson offers comedic insight into the candidate’s offbeat behavior. | The comedian’s version of Mr. Trump is lewd, bullying and clueless, sometimes charmingly so. The character is often imagined responding to the day’s headlines, as Mr. Ellickson offers comedic insight into the candidate’s offbeat behavior. |
| For instance, when in early July, Mr. Trump used his Twitter account to post Star of David imagery that had previously appeared on a message board filled with anti-Semitic comments, Mr. Ellickson imagined a scolding conversation with Mr. Ryan. | For instance, when in early July, Mr. Trump used his Twitter account to post Star of David imagery that had previously appeared on a message board filled with anti-Semitic comments, Mr. Ellickson imagined a scolding conversation with Mr. Ryan. |
| Sometimes, Mr. Ellickson veers off into the purely absurd. | Sometimes, Mr. Ellickson veers off into the purely absurd. |
| In early September, the hashtag #TrumpCantSwim started trending on Twitter after Mr. Ellickson tweeted an imagined conversation between Mr. Ryan and his predecessor, John Boehner, in which the retired Mr. Boehner suggested that there was “no WAY!” that Mr. Trump could swim. | In early September, the hashtag #TrumpCantSwim started trending on Twitter after Mr. Ellickson tweeted an imagined conversation between Mr. Ryan and his predecessor, John Boehner, in which the retired Mr. Boehner suggested that there was “no WAY!” that Mr. Trump could swim. |
| The Ryan character agreed. Soon, other Twitter users were in on the joke. | The Ryan character agreed. Soon, other Twitter users were in on the joke. |
| Mr. Ellickson is a Democrat, and plans to vote for Hillary Clinton in November. He occasionally features a caricature of Mrs. Clinton in his tweets, sometimes in conversation with her campaign manager, Robby Mook. | Mr. Ellickson is a Democrat, and plans to vote for Hillary Clinton in November. He occasionally features a caricature of Mrs. Clinton in his tweets, sometimes in conversation with her campaign manager, Robby Mook. |
| But the comedian finds Mr. Trump more compelling. He even admits to developing some empathy for his version of the Republican nominee, something he says is bound to happen with any character he writes regularly. | But the comedian finds Mr. Trump more compelling. He even admits to developing some empathy for his version of the Republican nominee, something he says is bound to happen with any character he writes regularly. |
| “The way I write Trump is the way I often like to write my own stuff, where somebody slightly mangles a sentence in a way that feels very human,” he said. “I feel like he does that a lot and despite myself, I do find that a little bit endearing. | “The way I write Trump is the way I often like to write my own stuff, where somebody slightly mangles a sentence in a way that feels very human,” he said. “I feel like he does that a lot and despite myself, I do find that a little bit endearing. |
| “When people say he sounds stupid, I’m sort of like ‘Well, I don’t know, lack of polish is how most of us talk if you actually saw it written down,’ ” Mr. Ellickson said, then paused a moment. | “When people say he sounds stupid, I’m sort of like ‘Well, I don’t know, lack of polish is how most of us talk if you actually saw it written down,’ ” Mr. Ellickson said, then paused a moment. |
| “Including that last sentence of mine,” he added. “That was very clumsy.” | “Including that last sentence of mine,” he added. “That was very clumsy.” |
| Though he is arguably the most visible practitioner of this type of parody, Mr. Ellickson is far from alone. Many comedians, members of the media and others — such as the novelist Hari Kunzru — have adopted the form. | Though he is arguably the most visible practitioner of this type of parody, Mr. Ellickson is far from alone. Many comedians, members of the media and others — such as the novelist Hari Kunzru — have adopted the form. |
| Nicole Shabtai, 31, a comedy writer who works on the show “American Dad,” has focused her energy on caricatures of Mr. Trump’s offspring, crafting dark, intense scenes that imagine the characters as coldblooded elites. | Nicole Shabtai, 31, a comedy writer who works on the show “American Dad,” has focused her energy on caricatures of Mr. Trump’s offspring, crafting dark, intense scenes that imagine the characters as coldblooded elites. |
| “I cannot help but to think about what each member of his family is doing, all the time,” she said. | “I cannot help but to think about what each member of his family is doing, all the time,” she said. |
| “I don’t know why I need this snapshot of Donald Jr. talking to his doorman in robot pajamas to go out in the world,” she said, “but for some reason it’s very important that it does.” | “I don’t know why I need this snapshot of Donald Jr. talking to his doorman in robot pajamas to go out in the world,” she said, “but for some reason it’s very important that it does.” |
| Experimental comedy has been at home on Twitter for almost as long as the platform has existed. In the early years, a group of mostly anonymous users pushed the boundaries of the format away from the quotidian updates that one of its founders, Jack Dorsey, had imagined, and toward various references, memes and narrative jokes. | Experimental comedy has been at home on Twitter for almost as long as the platform has existed. In the early years, a group of mostly anonymous users pushed the boundaries of the format away from the quotidian updates that one of its founders, Jack Dorsey, had imagined, and toward various references, memes and narrative jokes. |
| Freddie Campion, 31, an ardent comedy fan, journalist and casual Twitter historian who is part of the social media team at GQ magazine, traces the birth of the screenwriting-style tweets to users like and @dril, some of the several hundred members of a loosely connected universe often described as Weird Twitter. | Freddie Campion, 31, an ardent comedy fan, journalist and casual Twitter historian who is part of the social media team at GQ magazine, traces the birth of the screenwriting-style tweets to users like and @dril, some of the several hundred members of a loosely connected universe often described as Weird Twitter. |
| Mr. Campion pointed out that political dialogues on Twitter date back to at least 2011, when the comedians Rob Delaney and Megan Amram were tweeting similar jokes about Mitt Romney. | Mr. Campion pointed out that political dialogues on Twitter date back to at least 2011, when the comedians Rob Delaney and Megan Amram were tweeting similar jokes about Mitt Romney. |
| But Mr. Campion, who has been known to tweet his own mock dialogues, says that these types of tweets have become far more commonplace this election cycle. | But Mr. Campion, who has been known to tweet his own mock dialogues, says that these types of tweets have become far more commonplace this election cycle. |
| “Back in 2012, it was considered weird,” he said. “As people got more comfortable with Twitter, this trope became more mainstream, and I think that it just happened to coincide with this weird election.” | “Back in 2012, it was considered weird,” he said. “As people got more comfortable with Twitter, this trope became more mainstream, and I think that it just happened to coincide with this weird election.” |
| Sage Boggs, 25, a former staffer at “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” now employed by Mic, said that although he’s been driven “kind of numb” as the election has drawn on, he still makes occasional jokes about it on Twitter to distract himself from an anxiety that he says is “definitely stoked by Trump.” | Sage Boggs, 25, a former staffer at “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” now employed by Mic, said that although he’s been driven “kind of numb” as the election has drawn on, he still makes occasional jokes about it on Twitter to distract himself from an anxiety that he says is “definitely stoked by Trump.” |
| “I think that’s probably why I got into comedy in the first place and pursued it as a career, because it helped me deal with anxieties in my life,” he said. | “I think that’s probably why I got into comedy in the first place and pursued it as a career, because it helped me deal with anxieties in my life,” he said. |
| Others agreed that anxiety was a motivation. Ms. Shabtai, who calls herself a “die-hard Hillary supporter,” said that her tweets might be her way of trying to have “some semblance of control in her life.” | Others agreed that anxiety was a motivation. Ms. Shabtai, who calls herself a “die-hard Hillary supporter,” said that her tweets might be her way of trying to have “some semblance of control in her life.” |
| “Whenever my anxiety level starts surging, I start seeing the Trumps,” she said. | “Whenever my anxiety level starts surging, I start seeing the Trumps,” she said. |
| But Mr. Ellickson, the most prolific chronicler of fictional candidates, is sanguine as Nov. 8 approaches. He says he believes that there is a “firm ceiling” to the amount of support Mr. Trump can win. | But Mr. Ellickson, the most prolific chronicler of fictional candidates, is sanguine as Nov. 8 approaches. He says he believes that there is a “firm ceiling” to the amount of support Mr. Trump can win. |
| He admits that his tweets might be helping to keep him calm. | He admits that his tweets might be helping to keep him calm. |
| “I give myself this weird catharsis a bunch of times a day,” he said. | “I give myself this weird catharsis a bunch of times a day,” he said. |