By Phil Huber, ADVANCE COLUMNIST
As a child, I read comic books and watched cartoon characters perform amazing feats. In my play, I became those heroes. I could defeat villains, escape danger, and save the day.
Then I grew out of it.
Fantasy was not reality. Becoming a young man, and eventually a contributing adult, meant developing judgment, responsibility, and concern for my family and community. Real strength meant accepting obligations, not imagining myself above ordinary limits.
That distinction matters when the person playing superhero is president of the United States.
On Oct. 13, Donald Trump posted an AI-generated video showing himself wrestling with a tiger and then hugging it, accompanied by “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” Hours earlier, he had shared real footage of a fatal tiger attack in England. The victim’s family asked people to stop circulating distressing footage.
A real tragedy became the backdrop for a fictional display of presidential prowess. We cannot know his motive. We can judge his conduct.
Call it Trump Hero Syndrome—not a medical diagnosis, but a political habit: Presenting an elected official as a military champion, religious figure, or uniquely indispensable national savior.
In August, Trump posted an AI-generated image placing himself between Generals George Patton and Douglas MacArthur. It depicted Trump as a four-star general. Snopes verified the post and explained that commander in chief is a civilian title, not a military rank. Trump never served in the military.
As a retired Army Reserve colonel, I find that distinction important. Military authority and honors are not costume accessories. They represent service, responsibility and accountability. A fabricated uniform cannot supply those qualities.
In April, Trump posted an AI-generated image showing himself in white and red robes, with light coming from his hands as he appeared to heal a sick man. Religious supporters criticized it. Trump deleted the post and said he thought it showed him as a doctor “making people better.”
The problem is not one silly picture. It is an invitation to confuse the leader with the country, political power with personal greatness, and admiration with obedience.
A personality cult does not require everyone to believe the fantasy literally. It asks supporters to excuse the leader’s excesses, treat criticism as betrayal, and imagine that only this person can keep disaster away.
That trains citizens to look for salvation in a person rather than accountability in institutions.
America needs neither a superhero nor a national savior. It needs a president who respects the limits of the office, and citizens who insist on them.
I understand why many Trump supporters want a fighter. Government can be wasteful, distant and unresponsive. Border security, affordable living, national defense, and economic opportunity deserve serious attention.
But supporting those goals does not require applauding every presidential performance. Citizens can favor strong policies without surrendering independent judgment.
A YouGov survey conducted in October 2025 found that 70 percent disapproved of Trump posting an AI video depicting a fighter jet dropping sludge on protesters. That is dated evidence, not a verdict on the tiger video. It does show that voters need not applaud presidential spectacle simply because supporters enjoy it.
Ask the questions you would ask about a president from the other party. Is this truthful? Is it lawful? Does it help the country? Is the president accepting responsibility—or simply demanding attention?
The greatest danger comes when institutions around a leader become least able—or least willing—to correct him. Aides fear disagreement. Legislators fear retaliation. Supporters dismiss inconvenient facts. Loyalty crowds out judgment.
Those are warning signs to watch for, not reasons to give up. Congress exists to check presidential power, not provide background applause.
On Nov. 3, Fredericksburg voters will help choose a House member and a United States senator. Every candidate should answer a straightforward question: Will you check a president of your own party?
Demand specifics. Will you conduct serious oversight, insist on truthful official communication, protect whistleblowers and defend the right to criticize government without retaliation? Will you investigate misuse of public money even when your political allies are responsible?
Incumbents should show their records. Challengers should explain what they would do differently. Neither deserves credit for promising to restrain only the other party.
The standard should be the Constitution, not a campaign jersey. Our representatives owe their judgment to the public, not their devotion to a president. Capable lawmakers must distinguish governing from entertainment—and have the courage to act on that distinction.
I enjoyed make-believe as a child. I do not want it substituted for adult responsibility in the White House.
America needs presidents with strength. It also needs members of Congress with the strength to say no.
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Phil Huber is a retired Army Reserve colonel and former federal civil servant who writes about civic education, public accountability and national security. He lives in Fredericksburg.
Hard-core Trump supporters are like the worshipers at Jonestown who drank the Kool-aid. Even if his policies leave them broke, destitute, and homeless, they will still idolize him.