Any fan of The Simpsons should recall the episode “Bart to the Future.” A nod to Back to the Future II, the episode follows Bart Simpson as he has a vision of his future in 2030. Lisa Simpson is the new president that replaced Donald Trump in office. Many viewers have pointed out the resemblance between Lisa’s presidential character and Kamala Harris, and The Simpsons screenwriter Al Lean couldn’t be prouder of the iconic idea.
“@TheSimpsons ‘prediction’ I’m proud to be a part of,” the writer tweeted on July 21.
.@TheSimpsons “prediction” I’m proud to be a part of. pic.twitter.com/ZvkqotRpsn
— Al Jean (@AlJean) July 21, 2024
The episode aired in 2000 — 16 years before Trump, 78, took office before President Joe Biden succeeded him in 2020. Lisa describes herself as “America’s first straight female president,” who has to take on “quite a budget crunch from President Trump.” Throughout the episode, Lisa wears a purple suit with a pearl choker necklace and matching earrings, which is shockingly similar to the one that Harris, 59, wore when she was inaugurated as vice president in 2021.
After Trump took office in 2016, “Bart to the Future” was considered an eerie prediction. That year, another writer from the show Dan Greaney called it a “warning” of what was to come during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
“It was a warning to America,” Dan said. “And that just seemed like the logical last stop before hitting bottom. It was pitched because it was consistent with the vision of America going insane.”
“The Simpsons” predicted Kamala Harris In the 2000 episode “Bart to the Future,” Lisa Simpson becomes the President of the United States in 2030.Lisa, dressed in an outfit similar to the one Kamala Harris wore at her vice-presidential inauguration in 2020. pic.twitter.com/sANVeKiuls
— N.Galeytzhis (@Galeytzhis) July 22, 2024
The episode was widely criticized by viewers when it came out, but Dan stood his ground on the idea. However, he couldn’t remember who pitched the storyline. During his interview with the publication, the writer pointed out that Lisa is left with national “problems that were beyond her fixing.”
“The important thing is that Lisa comes into the presidency when America is on the ropes, and that is the condition left by the Trump presidency,” the consulting producer added. “What we needed was for Lisa to have problems that were beyond her fixing, that everything went as bad as it possibly could, and that’s why we had Trump be president before her. … The Simpsons has always kind of embraced the over-the-top side of American culture, and [Trump] is just the fulfillment of that.”
