Filmmaker Adam McKay released Netflix’s political satire, Don’t Look Up, four years ago after Joe Biden won the 2020 Presidential Election. At the time, critics and movie enthusiasts understood his message on climate change and society’s inability to respond to disasters due to their lack of urgency. People were aware that the script was written as a parody of Donald Trump and the COVID-19 pandemic.
I watched the film for the first time in 2026. I recognized many parallels to the current status of the United States to a point where it made my blood boil. However, I still love McKay’s direction and am impressed that his comedic intuition accurately reflects the behavior of individuals who undermined the government solely for personal interests. And Don’t Look Up has predicted the events and the people involved in Trump’s second term.
The Orleans Manipulate Information for Personal Gain
The Trump administration is represented by a mother-and-son duo, Janie and Jason Orlean. Janie is described as an opportunist, while Jason heavily depicts the people who will blindly follow her every word. Throughout Don’t Look Up, President Orlean is shown to love her popularity over her nation. Her son repeatedly disrespects anyone who questions their decision-making for publicity and money.
In Don’t Look Up, Earth is under the threat of Comet Dibiasky, who was named after astronomer assistant Kate Dibiasky. She and her mentor, Dr. Randall Mindy, throughout the film actively battled the reality of politics when it came to addressing Earth’s possible demise. McKay’s direction pays off as he presents two paths of how scientists will succumb to their situation.
Janie and Jason recommended that they get media training before their first interview about the comet. Dr. Mindy gets assimilated fairly easily and accepts the Orleans’ proposition to give the partial truth about the comet. He’s soon brainwashed that the government will do the right thing by destroying the comet before the 6-month time limit runs out. His life later spirals out of control due to the Orleans’ personal interests with tech company BASH and winning the midterm election.
As for Kate, she got antagonized by news networks and social media since the comet was named after her. She stayed true to the facts and keeps track of its traveling status. She eventually breaks down when she tells a bar about the government betraying the nation to drill for rare metals as it gets closer. She gets captured by the FBI and is ordered to sign a contract to suspend her public media appearances.
Since Trump’s return, we see his second administration falling apart as they tried to suppress information on his relationship with late sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. Because of his multiple disagreements with former DOGE leader, Elon Musk, Musk blew the whistle to expose the president. The ongoing investigation resulted in the discovery of a global sex trafficking ring.
Trump had multiple defenders, including Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, who actively retaliated in hearings over the redactions of the files. His administration also tried to manipulate information about ICE’s misdeeds over the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. The consequences gradually came as Democrats and the agreeing parties demanded more information from soon-to-be former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
Peter Isherwell Mirrors AI Tech Billionaires
Don’t Look Up takes advantage of Dr. Mindy’s and Kate’s intellectual knowledge by including a foil named Peter Isherwell. Actor Mark Rylance did a stunning performance of portraying the BASH CEO as awkward, delusional, and nepotistic. Isherwell convinced Janie to stop the missiles from hitting the comet because his analytics believed it contained rare materials, with gold being the number one priority.
The military then aborted the comet defense plan by parachuting Captain Benedict Drask’s rocket and the missile barrage. During an emergency meeting, Isherwell informed the Orleans and the White House, “The problem is that China has her big panda paw on almost all the mines that produce valuable Earth assets. [Our BASH astrogeologists determined that the comet contains] $32 trillion worth of critical material.” He then changed the value to $140 trillion after Dr. Mindy attempted to question his research.
His explanation immediately reminded me of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s CES 2026 presentation. The head of the leading GPU manufacturer has heavily advertised his Blackwell GPU series (RTX 5000s) to operate large language models for generative AI. His latest mission is to cater to AI data centers, provide robots, and a fully automated driving Mercedes car. Isherwell even invented an AI chatbot named Liif to keep lonely children company.
And it’s not just Huang that he is parodying. It’s the leaders of the AI tech industry who rely on the trust of investors. Don’t Look Up perfectly captured how OpenAI and other cooperators convinced the Trump administration that the technology would help boost the US economy. As a result, economists watched billions of dollars being wasted due to hyperscaling AI data centers.
Dr. Mindy and Kate Are Truth Seekers
Probably the most convincing aspect of Don’t Look Up’s script is highlighting the perspective of truth seekers. When the comet draws near to Earth, Dr. Mindy and Kate are actively recording themselves and informing the US of its existence. The Orleans and Isherwell responded by trying to convince their red-hat supporters not to look at the sky to strengthen their political prowess.
This is McKay’s jab at corporate companies and rich politicians who chose to ignore the problem rather than fix it. Axiom. Don’t Look Up approaches the comet as a situation that society chose to do something about it at the last second. Rather than staying quiet, Dr. Mindy and Kate chose to rebel against the Orlean administration.
And for over a year, a majority of US networks kept a close eye on the Trump administration since abolishing DEI programs. Independent and public media, like MeidasTouch, are actively keeping US citizens informed against the networks providing disinformation. Protestors in the targeted Democratic cities are doing everything to have their voices heard rather than allow the nation to slip into fear.
As a result, the irrational decisions cost the Republicans to lose major votes for the 2026 Senate Election. Numerous law firms refused to represent him in court after understanding how many illegal actions were discovered. And more people are speaking out, from the ICE training to the Epstein Files redactions.
Should You Watch Don’t Look Up?
With the current political climate, Don’t Look Up is understandably divisive. Its fantastic what-if scenario has predicted the return of one of the worst administrations in US history. Yet, the Netflix film does teach why protecting democracy is crucial to preventing future damage to the nation. The movie is best enjoyed with friends who need a good laugh during these rough times.
