‘The Simpsons’ takes aim at Donald Trump in new video

With the conventions completed and the nominees set, “The Simpsons” has decided to get political in a new short endorsing their presidential candidate of choice.

Fox’s legendary series, set to begin its 28^th season on Sept. 25, released a video Saturday spoofing Hillary Clinton’s famous “3 a.m.” ad from the 2008 election cycle, which centered around a foreboding ringing telephone and which person in the Oval Office would keep your sleeping children safe. (The implication being: definitely not up-and-comer Barack Obama, that’s for sure. Sweet summer children, we were so naive then.)

When the video begins, a distressed Marge decides she can’t make love until she decides who she’ll vote for in the upcoming election, which means the same goes for Homer. Luckily, there is a conveniently timed political ad as Homer clicks on his TV remote while they’re in bed.

The ad includes plenty of jabs at Clinton herself, whose husband, Bill, dejectedly hands the phone over to her after excitedly answering it. “It’s for you,” he tells a sleeping Hillary, to which she responds, “Yes. From now on, it’s always for me.”

The video saves the bulk of its derision, though, for Republican candidate and frequent “Simpsons” target Donald Trump.

Sight gags abound the moment Trump appears, dressed in Ebeneezer Scrooge-esque nightcap and gown, a book entitled “Great Speeches” by A. Hitler on the bed and, and on the wall a photo of what appears to be his eldest sons, Eric and Don Jr., clutching a dead cheetah.

Though Trump is awake to take the 3 a.m. call, he declines it because he’s busy tweeting something hateful about Elizabeth Warren, before barking orders demanding his name be added to the Lincoln Memorial, making Chris Christie eat a worm just for fun and disbanding NATO.

When the reality television star does finally answer the call, he’s delayed by a team who serves to prep his body for the general populace, a routine that involves spray-tanning, botox, fake hands and what appears to be a Maltese. The phone rings again; he’s too late.

That’s enough for Marge, who says she’s made her decision. And it’s good enough for Homer who, to stay in good with his wife, decides to become a Democrat.

The video is a cheeky tweaking of a presidential campaign for the ages but nowhere near the first time that the series has mocked Trump.

In a video from July 2015, Homer became a paid supporter of Donald Trump, only to go on a magical, mystery tour, courtesy of Trump’s hair.

But few things have been as unnervingly prescient about this year’s election as a throwaway joke in an episode of “The Simpsons” from 2000.

In “Bart to the Future,” an episode regularly considered one of the worst episodes of the show’s nearly 600, the family visits a casino, where Bart has a vision of the future in which his sister Lisa is president.

Roughly midway through the episode, Lisa gathers with members of her team to get a feel for the outlook for the U.S. and makes reference to the fact that they’ve been left quite a budget quandary thanks to outgoing President Trump.

While “The Simpsons” probably can’t predict the future, the main takeaway from all of this is that that today’s punch line could be all too tomorrow’s president. And also, that it’s a shame none of the “3 a.m.” campaign ads included any Matchbox Twenty.

libby.hill@latimes.com

Twitter: @midwestspitfire

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