Did Veep foresee the chaos of the 2020 U.S. presidential election?
If you’re a fan of the Emmy-winning HBO series, the recent real-life scenes of Republican and Democrat protestors chanting to either “stop counting votes” or “count all the votes” may look familiar.
On a season five Veep episode, which aired in 2016, presidential candidate Selena Meyer, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, demands and is granted a recount of votes cast in Nevada following unfavorable exit polls. On a following episode, her team runs into demonstrators protesting the move. Meyer’s staff then proceed to stage their own counter protest.
Amid the recount, the votes in Nevada tilt heavily toward Meyer’s rival, promoting her to have a meltdown. “You’re going to cancel this recount like Anne Frank’s Bat mitzvah,” Louis-Dreyfus’ character screams. “I’m tired of losing things!”
“I’m going to be President,” Meyer says. “I’m going to be the first elected lady President. I’m going to have a lovely inauguration. Billy Joel is going to sing. So, you guys have to stop the recount.”
