Octavia Butler’s 1998 novel, “Parable of the Talents,” features a Christian fascist president who uses the slogan “make America great again.” This claim is rated as true, as the book explicitly uses the phrase. While popularized by Donald Trump, Butler’s use was inspired by Ronald Reagan’s 1980 campaign slogan. The novel depicts a dystopian future influenced by Butler’s observations of societal issues like climate change and late-stage capitalism. Her character, President Jarret, embodies aspects of Reagan, whom Butler criticized. The phrase itself has earlier origins but gained prominence through Reagan’s campaign.
Octavia Butler used ‘make America great again’ in book years before Trump, but she didn’t coin phrase
