We've all been wrong about Trump. He's not a monster or even a clown. He's a Paddy Chayefsky character. Not Howard Beale, whom we all sympathize with, if not admire. But he's like Howard without the charm or sympathetic character. As Faye Dunaway's character puts it (and watch it, in this scene she's describing reality TV a good 30 years before it became reality. In the '70's, it was still only satire.): "the American people want somebody to articulate their rage for them." Enter, this time, and straight from reality TV (!), Donald Trump.
But we all know how long Howard lasted. At this point, the only difference is UBS only put "a manifestly irresponsible man on national television." Well, that and, while Howard thought he was chosen by God, only other people think Trump was. Close enough is good enough. Besides, Howard told the truth, and Trump is wholly incapable of that.
Reality always has to go fiction one better, at least in some respects. Doesn't mean the end won't be (roughly) the same.
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