A Cyberpunk Dive into The Donald Corners of Gaming History
“The future is already here – it’s just not evenly distributed.” – William Gibson
Strap in, choombas, because we’re about to take a warp-speed trip through a timeline that even Q himself would raise a curious eyebrow at: the bizarre, satirical, and meme-laden games that feature Donald J. Trump. Whether as a caricature, a punchline, or a reflection of our neon-soaked dystopian reality, Trump has somehow bulldozed his way into gaming culture. It’s a strange mix of alternate universes where capitalism meets chaos, all wrapped in an unholy digital glow. Let’s plug into the matrix and look at the Top 5 games that feature The Donald. Boldly go, where no list has gone before:
1. Trump Castle: The Ultimate Casino Gambling Simulation (1989)
Platform: MS-DOS, Amiga, Commodore 64
Before he was a political lightning rod, Trump was the King of Casinos (or so he’d say). Back in 1989, Trump Castle hit PCs like a solid phaser shot, promising players a “classy” virtual gambling experience inspired by the real-life Trump Castle casino in Atlantic City. No deep storylines or heroics here—just roulette, blackjack, and the overwhelming presence of 80s greed. This was capitalism in 8-bit form, with all the flash of a Ferengi trade negotiation. Think of it as the holodeck program Picard would definitely never use.
Cyberpunk take: Playing this game today feels like jacking into a pre-dystopia simulation—before the corporations took over, and the neon lights got grimy. If you ever wondered what it’s like to gamble in a world where “greed is good” was still a mantra, this is it.
2. The Political Machine 2016 (2016)
Platform: PC
Here’s where things get wild. The Political Machine 2016 lets players take control of real-life political candidates, including Trump, during the presidential election of—you guessed it—2016. This satirical strategy game pits candidates against each other in a fight for electoral domination. Trump’s in-game persona? Big on charisma, loaded with media savviness, but low on… let’s call it “policy depth.” Sound familiar?
Cyberpunk take: This game plays like a dystopian AR simulation—a virtual warning about populism and the spectacle of politics in the social media era. It’s all just a game until you realize the stakes are a lot higher than XP and leaderboard glory. Also, it proves one thing: in the digital age, charisma is king.
3. Saints Row IV (2013) (DLC – Commander in Chief Edition)
Platform: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
In the Saints Row universe, subtlety gets obliterated faster than a Borg cube in a Picard maneuver. While Trump himself doesn’t appear, the Commander in Chief Edition of Saints Row IV lets your character don a hilariously over-the-top Uncle Sam outfit, wield a “Merica Gun” (a weapon that screams pure excess), and ride around on a screaming bald eagle. It’s satire cranked to 11—and it’s impossible not to draw parallels to Trump-era bombast.
Cyberpunk take: If politics is theater, then this DLC is the VR drama we didn’t know we needed. It’s a surreal simulation of what happens when patriotism turns into parody—an absurd, neon-soaked fever dream that feels too real in the modern world.
4. Mr. President! (2016)
Platform: PC
Welcome to the indie scene, where satire thrives. Mr. President! puts you in the role of a Secret Service agent tasked with saving a caricatured Trump-like character named “Ronald Rump.” The goal? Dive in slow-mo, Matrix-style, to intercept bullets meant for Rump as he gives questionable speeches or lounges on piles of gold. It’s chaotic, clunky, and gloriously absurd—a digital commentary on the cult of personality and the spectacle of political theater.
Cyberpunk take: This game is like running a glitchy simulation in a half-broken holodeck. Every slow-motion dive feels like a metaphor for modern politics: messy, unpredictable, and full of questionable physics.
5. Donald Trump’s Real Estate Tycoon (2002)
Platform: PC
Trump’s answer to SimCity and Tycoon games of the early 2000s? Donald Trump’s Real Estate Tycoon. You play as a real estate mogul climbing the ranks, buying up properties, and building an empire—while dealing with the man himself, who occasionally pops in with “advice.” Spoiler alert: the advice mostly involves spending big and going bigger. It’s a strange, self-aggrandizing game that doubles as a time capsule from Trump’s pre-politics media persona.
Cyberpunk take: It’s the gamified version of late-stage capitalism, distilled into a tycoon sim. Watching the glittering skyscrapers rise feels less like an achievement and more like a meditation on human hubris. Or, as Data might say, “Fascinating… yet troubling.”
Final Thoughts: The Donald in the Digital World
Donald Trump’s appearances in gaming range from the satirical to the self-promotional, each one reflecting a distinct phase of his persona. Whether you’re diving slow-mo to save “Ronald Rump” or managing a pixelated casino empire, these games capture something ineffable about the man’s presence in the cultural zeitgeist.
Cyberpunk take: These games collectively feel like fragments of a sprawling alternate reality—glitched-out reflections of a society obsessed with power, spectacle, and larger-than-life figures. They’re not just games; they’re social commentaries encoded in pixels and polygons.
As Q would say, “The trial never ends,” and in Trump’s case, it seems his digital doppelgangers will keep on trialing across the weird, wonderful expanse of gaming history.
