"I humbly and gratefully accept your nomination for the presidency of the United States." As he took on the mantle of the Grand Old Party's candidate for the highest office in the land, Donald Trump, for whom humility is not his main quality, began his speech at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 21, 2016, with these sober words. The primary campaign was over and, so far, nothing had been sober. Trump had defied the odds by breaking every rule of decorum – and of humility, for that matter. He was preparing to challenge the election's clear front-runner, Democrat Hillary Clinton, 100 days later. This time, he would surprise the entire planet.

The conventions of the United State's two major parties, which happen every four years, follow strict rules, such that the candidate being nominated can only follow a choreography designed for television and timed to the minute. With this in mind, the organizers liked nothing less than surprises, and they had done everything in their power to silence the few dissenting voices who still had not accepted the New Yorker's victory in the race for the nomination. But Trump wasn't just any candidate, and he would make sure he was not forgotten. To do so, he paid attention to details. The future 45^th president of the US arrived at the convention by helicopter and descended from it to the sound of the original soundtrack from the film Air Force One, creating a solemn and devilishly Hollywood-like scene.

'Donald, it was a movie!'

Released in 1997, the film directed by Wolfgang Petersen grossed over $300 million at the box office. A cultural product of another millennium, it is usually associated with the Clinton presidency, when the US, the only superpower to emerge from the Cold War, became more involved in world affairs through international organizations. On the surface, this foreign policy stance was a thousand miles away from Trumpism. But the film also features a president who doesn't hesitate to get physically involved or to throw punches, which is much more compatible with Trumpist grammar.

The wink was anything but subtle, so the sarcastic comments immediately started flying. The star of Air Force One, Harrison Ford himself, was quick to open fire. "Donald, it was a movie!" he said, mockingly adding, "It's not like this in real life. But how would you know?" Success was guaranteed. And yet "The Donald" didn't seem affected by the punchline. He would endure many more, without damage.

What message was the candidate trying to get across by playing the soundtrack to this blockbuster during this key moment in his campaign? At first glance, the association is not obvious. The film is a pure product of the last decade of the 20^th century. The USSR was no more, China was not yet the power it is today, and the terrorist threat was still in the making. The US saw itself as the sheriff of the world, and to make that clear, the scriptwriters named their main character James Marshall.

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