Firm, Unequivocal Proof That Hank Hill Would Not Vote For Trump In The Election

 

Television now exists during a time where reboots and revival run rampant. Many of these shows lean into the angle of nostalgia rather than taking into consideration whether there’s an actual need for these series to return and if something can be gained from these older characters now featured in a modern context as they face current events. There are several series that would be able to effectively take advantage of such a thing, but there are few that feel more justified than King of the Hill, a series that primarily pulled its storylines from real pockets of America and with a point of view that was more interested in honest and productive discussions on said topics rather than a desire to just be funny. Often the largest laughs from King of the Hill came from how well defined the characters are and that their reactions to the world around them are only absurd in regards to how entrenched they are in their beliefs.

There’s been news that series like Beavis and Butt-Head and a spin-off for Daria are in the works, and while these projects will hopefully be a lot of fun and highlight some fresh perspectives, they certainly feel less urgent than King of the Hill. A return to King of the Hill has been something that the fans have requested for years and could do much more with the modern state of the world than these other projects that ran parallel to it. Nobody cares who Beavis or Jodie would vote for in the upcoming election, nor was this a topic that would have been focused on in these programs. However, across Twitter and other forms of social media, there’s been actual debate over whether Hank Rutherford Hill would vote for Donald Trump or not. King of the Hill is a series that’s not just interested in the state of America, but it’s a show that’s filtered through Hank’s shiny perception of the greatest country in the world.

King of the Hill is a show that doesn’t just dedicate an entire episode to voting at the polls, but uses the time during its end credits to implore that the audience registers to vote. Even here, Hank refers to the process as an opportunity to win a brand-new President in addition to other prizes like civic pride and freedom. There have even been entire episodes that are dedicated to voting at the polls. Hank’s a character that would actually take exception to Trump’s slogan to “Make America Great Again,” falling back on the argument that this country never stopped being great in the first place. It’s for this reason, and so many more, that Hank Hill would not vote for Donald Trump in any election and that King of the Hill has provided repeated evidence for why not.

If there are two things that define Hank Hill, it’s his love of America and his love for propane and grilling. Hank would even say that the two things are analogous on many levels. A specific example where results from measures that Trump has put into order have impeded grilling is when his decrease in regulation of slaughterhouses has led to an increase of tainted beef and other meats in America. The trade war against China has also hurt farmers from the South, which would also make a difference here and something that would affect Hank on a more personal level. Hank would hate the idea of having to question where his beef is safe and even considering the thought would likely seem unpatriotic to him. Trump has also pushed harder for certain “dirty energies,” which prioritize fuels like coal over propane, something else that would be treasonous in Hank’s eyes. Hank had turned against his own family when they’ve shifted towards coal, so Trump wouldn’t stand a chance here.

One of the biggest topics to unpack here is that King of the Hill’s Arlen, Texas is shown to be multicultural and open minded in its own ways. Hank is absolutely a character that’s resistant to change or “outside” ideas, but he is also someone who’s been able to slowly evolve and open himself up in new ways, especially when it comes to other cultures. The best example of this is Hank’s complicated relationship with Kahn Souphanousinphone and his family, Laotian immigrants. King of the Hill hasn’t nothing but warmth to show towards these characters and despite how much Hank may hate to admit it, he genuinely respects Kahn and feels an affinity with him. This is beautifully illustrated in one of the final episodes of the series where Hank and Kahn commiserate how their names are anagrams for each other and that they are very much two sides of the same coin, despite their differences.

This can even be taken further be breaking down specific examples of the series between Hank and Kahn that run in opposition to Trump’s ideology. The biggest example is that in the episode, “Three Days of the Kahndo,” Hank enters America illegally across the Mexican border and aids a minority and an immigrant with him. It’d be on a technicality, but Hank could still be held responsible for this by ICE and detained in some way. Crazier things have definitely happened. “Lupe’s Revenge” details another incident that stems from Peggy’s negligence also results in her inadvertently smuggling a Mexican child across the border, which would also put her on ICE’s radar and leave Bobby without his parents. This could also be viewed on purely a territorial level in the sense that Trump’s proposed wall requires the seizing of property of Texas landowners that live near the border. This doesn’t specifically include the Hills, but Hank would surely still take exception to someone who tries to mess with Texas and take something from any part of it.

Something that’s worth addressing is that the character from King of the Hill that’s most similar to Trump is Buck Strickland (or perhaps M.F. Thatherton), someone who Hank endlessly idolizes and blindly supports. Buck is emblematic of the same capitalist and chauvinistic values that Trump represents, yet a difference here is that Hank at least knew Buck during a point where he had some kind of moral compass. He just got blinded to him along the way. If Strickland ever decided to run for President, Hank probably would fall for that charade and want to support him, but that doesn’t mean that he’d support Trump. A major factor that separates Trump from these similar money-driven figures is that Trump is such a New York personality and he tries to exude that energy in everything that he does. Hank’s staunch love for Texas makes him not just resent New York City, but everything that it represents. It’s a major blow to Hank’s very core when he learns that he was actually born in New York City, so if anything, Trump as President would likely be a daily remind to Hank of this piece of himself that he hasn’t fully reconciled with yet.

This topic doesn’t come down to Trump’s policies, but instead more of his lascivious personal behavior. It may go without saying that Hank would be against something like sexual assault and not be the type of character that engages in “locker room talk.” Hank shudders at even saying the word “sex” to his wife, Peggy, and instead will often use “relations” as the euphemism. However, in the episode “Jon Vitti Presents: Return to La Grunta,” both he and Luanne experience different kinds of sexual assault (from a dolphin, in Hank’s case) where Hank actually gets to elucidate on the issue and make his stance official. Hank would probably even take personal offense to hear how “the spokesperson for America” can be so flippant with language and tarnish the American tradition of elections and democracy with language from out of an “Adam Sandler comedy.”

King of the Hill has also had Hank give plenty of his impressions on Bill Clinton, but his disapproval of the man might still have been the lesser of two evils in the case of Trump. Furthermore, this wouldn’t’ be an issue in the upcoming election. Another hot topic that’s come up on the show is Hank nearly having a panic attack when he learns that George bush has a “limp handshake.” With Trump’s whole preoccupation on the size of his hands and how they’re not inferior, it feels like this could have also been a pertinent topic if Hank were to ever shake hands with this President.

Hank Hill is also a character who truly respects and values the democratic process of voting and he speaks about it in a fashion that’s practically romantic. In that sense, it seems unlikely that Hank would be the individual to just not vote at all in the upcoming election, but he’s also the type who would feel like picking a name that he truly doesn’t believe in would be like lying to the country and something that would probably legitimately make Hank hate himself on some level. Without these two options, it’s possible that Hank would take the route of putting down a write-in candidate and gain a sense of patriotic justice by finding his own way of respecting the system and not contributing to something that he doesn’t believe in. It’s possible that he’d put down Jeb Bush, just because he seems like the type that would find a strange pride in voting for three different Bushes. If Ronald Reagan were still alive he’d definitely win the spot as Hank has voiced that he “misses voting for that man.”

This may all seem like unimportant minutiae, but it speaks to how valuable King of the Hill would be if it were to return. This is the kind of struggle that no other character on television would go through and Hank’s conflicted take on the election could open up a fascinating discussion on American traditions and if it’s more of an unpatriotic act to vote for someone that you don’t believe in or to not vote at all and abandon the process that their forefathers believe in. Hank often stands by antiquated traditions, but while Trump bolsters this style of Americana, he also wants to strip away many of the touchstone lessons that Hank considers to be part of his America. Or perhaps the whole exercise could help understand the importance of local elections and Hank could channel his energy there and try to inspire change on a smaller level that’s able to blossom. There are opportunities where the questionable state of America doesn’t have to leave Hank feeling disenfranchised.

Even with all of this evidence, there’s one strong example that supersedes everything else and is the only piece of proof that’s needed to know where Hank’s voting preferences lie. Hank has repeatedly spoken about how the proper—nay, the only—way to prepare a steak is medium rare (“firm, but with a little give,” to be exact), yet Trump has gone on the record to say that he eats his steak well-done. During a formative grilling session between Hank and his son, Bobby asks his father what to do when somebody wants their meat to be prepared in such a fashion. Hank’s response: “We ask them politely, yet firmly, to leave.”

As flexible as some people’s political beliefs may be, there are just some matters that are more important and securely rooted.

You never mess with a man’s steak.