A Congressman Used a 'Stranger Things' Reference to Take Down Trump

It’s an Upside Down world, and we’re all just living in it.

In a last-ditch (and hilarious) effort to get the U.S. House of Representatives to understand the magnitude of President Donald Trump’s political choices thus far, Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI) used an especially creepy pop culture reference: He compared Trump’s America to the spooky shadow world of Netflix’s Stanger Things.

“Like the main characters in Stranger Things, we are now stuck in the Upside Down,” Cicilline said. “Right is wrong, wrong is up. Black is white. The administration has deceived Americans,” he continued, before listing some of Trump’s more troubling actions, like the president’s coziness with Russia’s Vladimir Putin or the Muslim ban.

“Mornings may be for coffee and contemplation, but Chief Jim Hopper is not going to rescue us,” Cicilline said. “This is not a TV show. This is real life. We have a president like we have never known. Like Mike, Lucas, [and] Eleven, we must hold this administration accountable so we can escape from our own version of the Upside Down.”

Cicilline had a blown up sign featuring a riff on the iconic Stranger Things logo that read “Trump Things.”

The House didn’t seem all that enthusiastic about Cicilline’s display and quickly moved on to a discussion from Congresswoman Jackson Lee about Russian interference in the election. But the public seems to be getting a kick out of it:

Others saw it as a waste of time:

This is hardly the first time we’ve seen blown-up posters in the House. Back in January, during a discussion about repealing the Affordable Care Act, Bernie Sanders used a poster of one of Trump’s tweets to remind reps that the president stated he would protect Medicaid and Medicare. Sanders insisted that Trump either admit he was lying or promise not to veto any cuts to the programs.

It’s been a month since President Trump was inaugurated, and Sander’s stunt seemed to shine enough light on the issue to protect the programs thus far. But, Cicilline’s effort might be too misguided to stir up any kind of change from the administration. Unlike Sander’s argument, Cicilline didn’t seem to have any clear message. If anything, it’s another attempt at embarrassing an administration that seems to thrive off such harsh criticisms… just as the Demogorgon seems to thrive off of electrical energy.