Why Donald Trump may be rewriting Agatha Christie
The regular departures of staff from the White House since Donald Trump took office in January (Sebastian Gorka is the latest example) points to administrative chaos and a lack of personal loyalty from the President. Many see parallels with the reality TV show The Apprentice, where Mr Trump fired a contestant every week. But perhaps Mr Trump is aping fiction — specifically Agatha Christie. Her most famous novel “And Then There Were None” featured 10 people on a remote island who were bumped off one by one until, well, the title gives you a clue.
The novel contains a rhyme which gives clues as to each guest’s demise. The original version contained offensive language (as did the book’s title) but it has been cleaned up for modern readers. And it is easy to adapt it to the White House examples of Flynn, Spice, Priebus, Scaramucci, Bannon and Gorka.
Ten little White House aides sitting down to dine
One lied to Mike Pence and then there were nine
Nine little White House aides working late
One failed to tame the press and then there were eight
Eight little White House aides though they were in heaven
One was blamed for all the leaks and then there were seven
Seven little White House aides left in the mix
One annoyed a General and then there were six
Six little White House aides hoped they would thrive
One leaned too far right and then there were five
Five little White House aides rewriting the law
One misjudged his role and then there were four
Who will be next to fall? And how long before there is no-one left? Fans of the book will know that a “red herring” (fake news, in other words) turned out to be a vital clue.
