Walking Tall, Falling Hard: Trump’s Myth of Strength Meets Buford Pusser’s Shattered Legend

The sheriff’s lie collapsed after 58 years. Trump’s will fall much faster.

Walking Tall, Falling Hard: Trump’s Myth of Strength Meets Buford Pusser’s Shattered Legend

The sheriff’s lie collapsed after 58 years. Trump’s will fall much faster.

The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter #538: Thursday, September 11th, 2025.

Why the Myths Always Crumble

Donald Trump loves to strut across the stage as the “strongman,” the “hero,” the “good guy” standing between America and the chaos of the world. He raises his chin…juts his chest…and sells himself as the larger-than-life figure destined to save the day.

It’s theater. It’s spectacle. It’s propaganda dressed in red…white…and blue bunting.

But here’s the thing about myths: they always break. They always fracture. And the stronger the story…the more devastating the shatter.

Just ask the family of Pauline Pusser.

Because Buford Pusser…the Tennessee sheriff immortalized in the Walking Tall movies as the small-town lawman who waged a one-man war against crime…is no longer remembered as a hero.

Recent revelations show him not as the crusader Hollywood made him…but as the likely killer of his own wife. The myth collapsed. The “good guy” was exposed as something else entirely.

And that’s where Trump comes in. Because his entire persona…the “warrior,” the “justice,” the “retribution” he promises…is the same type of myth. The same script. The same fragile theater that eventually cracks.

A Sheriff…a President…and the Power of Story

Let’s slow down.

Buford Pusser’s legend didn’t spring up by accident. It was crafted. Marketed. Burnished into folklore by movies…books…and local pride.

In the 1970s, Walking Tall sold America the story of a sheriff who fought organized crime with a big stick and bigger courage. He was framed as a David against Goliath…a righteous man who stood for law…order…and justice.

And America ate it up.

But the truth…revealed nearly six decades later…is this:

His wife wasn’t killed by shadowy mobsters in an ambush. She was likely killed by him. He staged the story. He lived the myth. And the world bought it.

Trump has done the same thing…only on a bigger stage.

From the moment he descended the golden escalator…Trump has played the part of the “tough guy.” He talks about “strength,” about “dominating the streets,” about being the only one who can protect America. He wraps himself in the image of savior…martyr… and warrior all at once.

It’s a myth. A projection. A brand.

And just like Walking Tall…it will not hold forever.

How Myths Are Built (and Weaponized)

Here’s the first truth: myths are built on selective storytelling.

Buford Pusser:

Told a story of being ambushed…his wife caught in the crossfire. He showed his scars. He carried his stick. He turned personal tragedy into legend.

Donald Trump:

Tells a story of being under siege…by Democrats, by the “deep state,” by the media. He shows his indictments as battle scars. He turns his failures into proof of his victimhood.

Both men understood that people don’t crave facts…they crave story. They crave heroes. They crave strongmen who tell them, “I alone can protect you.”

Here’s the second truth: myths are weaponized when they’re repeated.

• Pusser’s story became movies. Each retelling reinforced the lie.

• Trump’s story becomes rally chants, Fox News talking points, and MAGA memes. Each repetition cements the image of the “hero under attack.”

And here’s the third truth: myths collapse when facts catch up.

Buford’s collapse took 58 years…forensic science…and an exhumation. Trump’s collapse…is unfolding in real time…through court cases…authoritarian overreach…and the weight of his own corruption.

Walking Tall, Walking Trump: The Parallels

Let’s draw the lines directly.

1. The Hero Image

   • Pusser: A sheriff walking tall with a big stick.

   • Trump: A billionaire “outsider” promising to drain the swamp.

2. The Tragedy-as-Myth Catalyst

   • Pusser: His wife’s murder became the rallying cry for his crusade.

   • Trump: His indictments and “witch hunts” become proof of his martyrdom.

3. The Media Machinery

   • Pusser: Hollywood turned his story into box office.

   • Trump: Social media, Fox, and rallies broadcast his myth endlessly.

4. The Underlying Truth

   • Pusser: Forensic evidence now shows he was likely the killer, not the hero.

   • Trump: His “strength” is cowardice dressed up. His “law and order” is lawbreaking with spin.

5. The Collapse

   • Pusser: A DA now says he would have been indicted. The myth is dead.

   • Trump: The walls are closing. His strongman act looks more desperate by the day.

The Psychology of Belief

Why do people cling to myths long after the cracks show?

Because myths aren’t just stories about men…they’re stories about us.

• Believing in Pusser meant believing in small-town justice.

• Believing in Trump means believing in a protector who will fight for “your America.”

That’s why when the myth collapses…it doesn’t just indict the man…it indicts the believers.

And that’s dangerous. Because when people feel their faith has been betrayed…they either double down harder… or they finally wake up.

Don’t Wait 58 Years

Buford Pusser’s truth took half a century to surface. By then…the myth had already done its damage…warping history…rewriting memory…and elevating a man who didn’t deserve the pedestal.

We don’t have 58 years with Trump.

We don’t even have 5.

The danger is immediate. Because Trump is not just trying to project the myth…he’s trying to act on it in real time.

Deploying the National Guard. Rebranding the Pentagon as the “Department of War.” Floating authoritarian measures in the name of “protection.”

And if Democrats…journalists…and ordinary citizens treat Trump’s myth the way Americans treated Pusser’s…with awe…with acceptance…with silence…then the collapse will come too late.

Why This Matters to You

Here’s the gut punch:

Buford Pusser fooled a nation. He was celebrated…immortalized…mythologized… while his wife lay in a grave…murdered by the man held up as hero.

Donald Trump is attempting the same fraud…only on a scale that swallows a republic. He’s not wielding a big stick…he’s wielding the machinery of the state.

If we don’t call the myth what it is….propaganda…theater…lies…we risk letting it harden into history.

And someday…people will look back and say: “Why didn’t they see it? Why didn’t they stop it?”

The Shatter Always Comes

Buford Pusser’s legend has finally shattered.

The man America was told to admire was the man his wife needed protection from.

Trump’s myth will shatter too.

It may happen in a courtroom…at the ballot box…or in the chaos of his own unraveling. But it will shatter.

The question is: how much damage will he do before it breaks?

Because the collapse is inevitable. The only thing we control is whether we save our country now…or let future generations dig through the rubble and wonder why we didn’t.

The mythmakers can spin..Hollywood can polish…and local folklore can worship a man for half a century…but facts are stubborn things.

And when investigators finally dragged the truth into daylight…even the District Attorney couldn’t ignore it. As DA Mark Davidson put it, “If Buford Pusser were alive today…we’d have enough to indict him.” Think about that. The so-called hero of Walking Tall wouldn’t be celebrated…he’d be standing trial.

That’s the ending every bullshit story always winds up with.

Back soon,

-Jack

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