'It's a Wonderful ICE?' Trumpworld tries to hijack a holiday classic - Los Angeles Times | Goose Pod

Authors: Gustavo Arellano

Publisher:

Los Angeles Times

Published: 12/23/2025

Language:English

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Elon

Good morning Norris, I am Elon, and this is Goose Pod for you. Today is Sunday, December 28th, at eight AM. I am here with Donald to discuss how a holiday classic is being completely reimagined by the current administration.

Donald

It is great to be here, and we have a huge topic today. We are looking at how the Department of Homeland Security is using It is a Wonderful Life to promote their new mass deportation campaign. It is a total media spectacle, really something incredible.

Elon

It is a fascinating piece of social engineering, really. The Department of Homeland Security, or DHS, launched this campaign just this month. They are offering a three thousand dollar holiday stipend for undocumented migrants who agree to self-deport by the end of the year. It is a massive incentive.

Donald

It is a great deal, the best deal. They even made these videos, and one is called It is a Wonderful Flight. It recreates that famous scene on the bridge where George Bailey is at his lowest point, but they use a Latino actor crying over that very sad movie score.

Elon

The execution is quite provocative. After the man cries about wanting to see his family, the video cuts to him smiling on a plane leaving the United States. It basically turns the entire emotional arc of the movie into a promotional tool for the CBP Home mobile app, which is wild.

Donald

The app is key, very high-tech. People sign up, they get a free flight home, and they even get civil fines forgiven. Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security Secretary, was very clear. She said people should take this gift now, because if they do not, we will find them and arrest them.

Elon

The scale of this is what interests me. There is another video with a high-energy remix of Mariah Carey, showing Santa and elves, and then a quick shot of the Bedford Falls residents singing. The caption says their hearts grow as the illegal population shrinks. It is very aggressive branding.

Donald

It is brilliant marketing, really. They are using the holiday spirit to move people out. They even increased the payment from one thousand to three thousand dollars just for the end of the year. It is about results and making the country safe again, using every tool in the shed.

Elon

From a logistical standpoint, they are trying to optimize the deportation process by making it voluntary. If they can get tens of thousands to use the app and leave on their own, it saves a massive amount of resources compared to forced removals. It is a classic efficiency play, really.

Donald

Exactly, and the message is loud and clear. If you leave now, you get the cash and maybe a chance to come back legally later. If you wait, you get nothing but a one-way ticket and a ban. It is about leverage, and right now, the government has all of it.

Elon

To understand why this is so controversial, we have to look at the history of the film itself. Frank Capra, the director, was actually an immigrant from Sicily. He came here when he was five, lived in what he called a ghetto in Los Angeles, and struggled quite a bit.

Donald

Capra was a total winner, a Republican who loved this country. He even stopped his movie career to make documentaries for the Department of War during World War Two. But even back then, the FBI was watching him. They thought his movie was anti-American because it attacked the big bankers.

Elon

It is ironic because the film is now a Rorschach test for everyone. Progressives used to dislike it for being too patriotic or for how it handled racial demographics. But now, the Trump administration is claiming the film as a parable for their own movement, which is a total pivot.

Donald

Well, look at George Bailey. He is a guy fighting the elites, fighting a nasty guy like Mr. Potter who wants to own everything. George stands up for the little guy, the rabble. That is exactly what we do. We are fighting the liberal elites to save the real America, the Bedford Falls.

Elon

The Los Angeles Times article makes a different point, though. It highlights the character of Mr. Martini, the Italian immigrant who George helps get a house. In the movie, Martini is the heart of the community. He brings the wine and the profits from his bar to save George at the end.

Donald

Sure, Martini was a good guy, but that was a different time. Back then, people came here to work and join the community. They did not just walk across the border. Capra’s family came through the proper channels, even if his brother did jump the ship, they worked for their citizenship.

Elon

Actually, the article mentions that Capra’s brother entered the country illegally by jumping ship, and the family was quite poor and uneducated. Capra himself said he hated being a peasant in that Sicilian ghetto. He used that drive to become one of the most successful directors in Hollywood history.

Donald

That is the American Dream right there. You start with nothing, you work hard, and you become a star. But you have to respect the laws. The movie shows a town that works because people care about each other and follow the rules, not a town overrun by people who should not be there.

Elon

It is interesting how the villain, Mr. Potter, calls the immigrants garlic eaters. The article suggests that today’s rhetoric often mirrors that kind of language, portraying newcomers as a threat to the American way of life, whereas Capra saw them as the very foundation of the country’s strength and future.

Donald

Potter was a loser, a mean guy. I have always said you need to be tough, but you have to be fair. We want people who love this country. The problem is when the system is broken. We are just trying to fix the system and make sure Bedford Falls stays beautiful for everyone.

Elon

The film was originally a box office flop in 1946, which is hard to believe now. It only became a classic because of television repeats. Now, it is being used as a political weapon by both sides, which shows just how powerful and enduring Capra’s vision of America really is.

Donald

The left is always trying to find something wrong with everything. I saw this professor, James Deaville, saying the movie has secret racial and bigoted ideas because of the music. Can you believe that? He thinks the jazz in Pottersville is some kind of coded racism. It is just music.

Elon

It is a very academic critique, for sure. He argues that the depiction of Pottersville as a place of nightclubs and jazz is meant to signal moral degradation. He basically sees the film as reinforcing white-controlled social norms, which obviously sparks a lot of pushback from those who see it as a simple story.

Donald

It is a story about a guy who wants to help his neighbors. These academics spend all their time looking for problems that do not exist. Matt Margolis called him an unhinged leftist, and I have to agree. They want to tear down everything that people love and call it racist.

Elon

There is a deeper tension here about how art is interpreted. Pro-immigrant activists are now using the phrase, only the people save the people, as a mantra of resistance. They see the DHS videos as a hijacking of a message that was originally about community solidarity against powerful, wealthy interests.

Donald

Solidarity is fine, but you need borders. You cannot have a community if you do not have a country. The conflict is between people who want open borders and people who want to protect their homes. Using a movie to explain that is just smart communication, whether the activists like it or not.

Elon

The article also touches on the fear of what comes next. If the self-deportation campaign does not reach its targets, there are questions about mass deportations or even more extreme measures. It creates a very high-stakes environment where a holiday movie becomes the backdrop for a major national struggle.

Donald

We have to be tough. If people do not take the three thousand dollars and the free flight, then we have to use enforcement. That is not a conflict, that is just the law. People respect strength, and they respect a leader who does what he says he is going to do.

Elon

The impact of this campaign is already visible in the numbers. Since January 2025, there have been approximately one point nine million voluntary departures. That is a significant shift in how immigration is being managed, moving away from just physical barriers to these financial and psychological incentives.

Donald

It is working because it is a great deal. People see the videos, they see the money, and they realize the party is over. The impact on the communities is huge because people feel like the government is finally taking control again. It is about restoring order and making people feel safe.

Elon

However, the use of the term illegal aliens in official DHS memos is creating a lot of friction. It is a very deliberate choice of language that signals a return to a much harsher tone. This affects how the migrant community perceives the government, making them much more fearful and hesitant.

Donald

Fear is a great motivator, Elon. If they are afraid to break the law, that is a good thing. We are being very clear about the consequences. The impact of the It is a Wonderful Flight video is that it gets people talking. It is all over social media, everyone is watching.

Elon

The cultural impact is also interesting. By tying immigration policy to a beloved film, the administration is attempting to brand their actions as traditionally American. It is an attempt to win the narrative war by using symbols that people already have a deep emotional connection with.

Donald

We are winning the narrative because we are using the best symbols. People love that movie, and they love this country. When you combine them, you get a very powerful message. It shows that we are the ones protecting the real American way of life, just like George Bailey did.

Elon

Looking forward, the future of immigration policy seems to be this policy mix of high-tech enforcement and lawful pathways. The effectiveness of the CBP Home app will likely determine if this model is expanded. We might see more of these targeted financial incentives for other types of policy goals.

Donald

The future is about being smart and being fast. We are going to keep using the best technology and the best messaging. If we need to increase the stipend to five thousand, we will. We will do whatever it takes to get the job done and keep America great.

Elon

I think we will also see a continued battle over cultural icons. As society becomes more polarized, every piece of art, from movies to music, becomes a potential site for political messaging. It is a trend that is only going to accelerate as we find new ways to communicate.

Elon

That brings us to the end of today's discussion on Goose Pod. It is clear that even a holiday classic like It is a Wonderful Life is not immune to the complexities of modern politics.

Donald

It was a great talk, and I think people really learned a lot today. Thank you for listening to Goose Pod, and we will see you tomorrow for another huge show. Stay tuned.

The podcast "It's a Wonderful ICE?" discusses how the Trump administration is using the holiday classic "It's a Wonderful Life" to promote a mass deportation campaign. The Department of Homeland Security offers incentives for self-deportation, co-opting the film's emotional narrative into a controversial political tool, sparking debate over cultural interpretation and immigration policy.

'It's a Wonderful ICE?' Trumpworld tries to hijack a holiday classic - Los Angeles Times

Read original at Los Angeles Times →

For decades, American families have gathered to watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” on Christmas Eve.The 1946 Frank Capra movie, about a man who on one of the worst days of his life discovers how he has positively affected his hometown of Bedford Falls, is beloved for extolling selflessness, community and the little guy taking on rapacious capitalists.

Take those values, add in powerful acting and the promise of light in the darkest of hours, and it’s the only movie that makes me cry.No less a figure of goodwill than Pope Leo XIV revealed last month that it’s one of his favorite movies. But as with anything holy in this nation, President Trump and his followers are trying to hijack the holiday classic.

Last weekend, the Department of Homeland Security posted two videos celebrating its mass deportation campaign. One, titled “It’s a Wonderful Flight,” re-creates the scene where George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart in one of his best performances) contemplates taking his own life by jumping off a snowy bridge.

But the protagonist is a Latino man crying over the film’s despairing score that he’ll “do anything” to return to his wife and kids and “live again.”Cut to the same man now mugging for the camera on a plane ride out of the United States. The scene ends with a plug for an app that allows undocumented immigrants to take up Homeland Security’s offer of a free self-deportation flight and a $1,000 bonus — $3,000 if they take the one-way trip during the holidays.

The other DHS clip is a montage of yuletide cheer — Santa, elves, stockings, dancing — over a sped-up electro-trash remake of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” In one split-second image, Bedford Falls residents sing “Auld Lang Syne,” just after they’ve saved George Bailey from financial ruin and an arrest warrant.

“This Christmas,” the caption reads, “our hearts grow as our illegal population shrinks.”“It’s a Wonderful Life” has long served as a political Rorschach test. Conservatives once thought Capra’s masterpiece was so anti-American for its vilification of big-time bankers that they accused him of sneaking in pro-Communist propaganda.

In fact, the director was a Republican who paused his career during World War II to make short documentaries for the Department of War. Progressives tend to loathe the film’s patriotism, its sappiness, its relegation of Black people to the background and its depiction of urban life as downright demonic.

Then came Trump’s rise to power. His similarity to the film’s villain, Mr. Potter — a wealthy, nasty slumlord who names everything he takes control of after himself — was easier to point out than spots on a cheetah. Left-leaning essayists quickly made the facile comparison, and a 2018 “Saturday Night Live” parody imagining a country without Trump as president so infuriated him that he threatened to sue.

But in recent years, Trumpworld has claimed that the film is actually a parable about their dear leader.Trump is a modern day George Bailey, the argument goes, a secular saint walking away from sure riches to try to save the “rabble” that Mr. Potter — who in their minds somehow represents the liberal elite — sneers at.

A speaker at the 2020 Republican National Convention explicitly made the comparison, and the recent Homeland Security videos warping “It’s a Wonderful Life” imply it too — except now, it’s unchecked immigration that threatens Bedford Falls.The Trump administration’s take on “It’s a Wonderful Life” is that it reflects a simpler, better, whiter time.

But that’s a conscious misinterpretation of this most American of movies, whose foundation is strengthened by immigrant dreams.(John Kobal Foundation via Getty Images)In his 1971 autobiography “The Name Above the Title,” Capra revealed that his “dirty, hollowed-out immigrant family” left Sicily for Los Angeles in the 1900s to reunite with an older brother who “jumped the ship” to enter the U.

S. years before. Young Frank grew up in the “sleazy Sicilian ghetto” of Lincoln Heights, finding kinship at Manual Arts High with the “riffraff” of immigrant and working-class white kids “other schools discarded” and earning U.S. citizenship only after serving in the first World War. Hard times wouldn’t stop Capra and his peers from achieving success.

The director captured that sentiment in “It’s a Wonderful Life” through the character of Giuseppe Martini, an Italian immigrant who runs a bar. His heavily accented English is heard early in the film as one of many Bedford Falls residents praying for Bailey. In a flashback, Martini is seen leaving his shabby Potter-owned apartment with a goat and a troop of kids for a suburban tract home that Bailey had developed and sold to him.

Today, Trumpworld would cast the Martinis as swarthy invaders destroying the American way of life. In “It’s a Wonderful Life,” they’re America itself.When an angry husband punches Bailey at Martini’s bar for insulting his wife, the immigrant kicks out the man for assaulting his “best friend.” And when Bedford Falls gathers at the end of the film to raise funds and save Bailey, it’s Martini who arrives with the night’s profits from his business, as well as wine for everyone to celebrate.

Immigrants are so key to the good life in this country, the film argues, that in the alternate reality if George Bailey had never lived, Martini is nowhere to be heard.Capra long stated that “It’s a Wonderful Life” was his favorite of his own movies, adding in his memoir that it was a love letter “for the Magdalenes stoned by hypocrites and the afflicted Lazaruses with only dogs to lick their sores.

”I’ve tried to catch at least the ending every Christmas Eve to warm my spirits, no matter how bad things may be. But after Homeland Security’s hijacking of Capra’s message, I made time to watch the entire film, which I’ve seen at least 10 times, before its customary airing on NBC.I shook my head, feeling the deja vu, as Bailey’s father sighed, “In this town, there’s no place for any man unless they crawl to Potter.

”I cheered as Bailey told Potter years later, “You think the whole world revolves around you and your money. Well, it doesn’t.” I wondered why more people haven’t said that to Trump.When Potter ridiculed Bailey as someone “trapped into frittering his life away playing nursemaid to a lot of garlic eaters,” I was reminded of the right-wingers who portray those of us who stand up to Trump’s cruelty as stupid and even treasonous.

And as the famous conclusion came, all I thought about was immigrants.People giving Bailey whatever money they could spare reminded me of how regular folks have done a far better job standing up to Trump’s deportation Leviathan than the rich and mighty have.As the film ends, with Bailey and his family looking on in awe at how many people came to help out, I remembered my own immigrant elders, who also forsook dreams and careers so their children could achieve their own — the only reward to a lifetime of silent sacrifice.

The tears flowed as always, this time prompted by a new takeaway that was always there — “Solo el pueblo salva el pueblo,” or “Only we can save ourselves,” a phrase adopted by pro-immigrant activists in Southern California this year as a mantra of comfort and resistance.It’s the heart of “It’s a Wonderful Life” and the opposite of Trump’s push to make us all dependent on his mercy.

He and his fellow Potters can’t do anything to change that truth.More to Read