Michael Imperioli Says The Sopranos Characters Would Likely Back Trump
Michael Imperioli Says The Sopranos Characters Would Likely Back Trump
New York — Michael Imperioli believes many characters from the iconic HBO crime drama The Sopranos would likely support former President Donald Trump if the show were set in today’s political climate — a view he says reflects contradictions within immigrant identity and American aspiration.
In a recent interview with The Independent, the 59-year-old actor — who portrayed mob soldier Christopher Moltisanti — said the series’ themes of immigration and assimilation would intersect with modern politics in unexpected ways.
“These characters are all immigrants,” Imperioli said. “But I think a lot of them would probably be Trump supporters, oddly enough.”
Immigrant Roots vs. Anti-Immigrant Politics
Imperioli noted that Italian-American history contains parallels with contemporary immigration debates. Many early Italian arrivals in the U.S., he said, were undocumented or faced social exclusion — a past often overlooked in modern political rhetoric.
“When Italians came over — and people forget this — a lot of them were undocumented,” he explained.
“So how do they reconcile those things?”
He suggested that tension — immigrant heritage alongside nationalist politics — would likely form a major narrative thread if The Sopranos were produced today.
A Show About the American Dream
Premiering in 1999, The Sopranos followed New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano as he balanced organized crime, family life, and therapy. Across six seasons, it explored:
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Ethnic identity and assimilation
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Masculinity and power
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Consumer capitalism
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Generational change
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The myth of upward mobility
Imperioli described the series as fundamentally about “the American dream through the eyes of immigrants,” arguing that modern politics has reshaped that dream’s meaning.
Gandolfini’s Enduring Legacy
The political speculation comes as co-stars continue reflecting on the legacy of James Gandolfini, who died in 2013 and defined television antiheroes through his portrayal of Tony Soprano.
Former castmate Drea de Matteo has described Gandolfini as both a transformative performer and an unusually generous colleague. She recalled that after renegotiating DVD royalties, he personally distributed $30,000 checks to fellow cast members excluded from the deal and routinely bought gifts and meals for the crew.
“He was humble. He was a gem,” de Matteo said in a 2024 interview.
“I want people to remember Tony Soprano first. That was the legacy he left.”
Gandolfini won three Emmy Awards for the role, anchoring a series that collected 21 Emmys overall and is widely regarded as one of television’s greatest dramas.
Revival Through Many Saints
The Sopranos universe returned in 2021 with the prequel film The Many Saints of Newark, starring Michael Gandolfini as the young Tony — stepping into the role made famous by his father.
Michael Gandolfini said preparing for the part meant confronting both grief and admiration.
“Seeing how good my dad was — which pissed me off in some regard and made me feel so proud,” he told The Wall Street Journal.
Politics and Prestige TV
Imperioli’s comments tap into a broader trend of audiences reinterpreting classic TV characters through contemporary politics. Antiheroes like Tony Soprano, Walter White, and Don Draper are often analyzed today in relation to populism, masculinity crises, and cultural backlash.
His suggestion that Sopranos characters might support Trump underscores how the show’s themes — loyalty, grievance, nostalgia, and perceived loss of status — overlap with modern political narratives.
If The Sopranos Were Made Today
Imperioli said a modern version would likely explore:
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Immigration enforcement debates
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Ethnic identity politics
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Right-wing populism in working-class suburbs
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Economic insecurity within organized crime
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Culture-war divisions inside families
The contradiction he highlighted — immigrant descendants backing anti-immigration politics — mirrors real-world voting patterns in some European-American communities.
Enduring Cultural Power
Nearly two decades after its 2007 finale, The Sopranos continues to shape television storytelling and public discourse. Its influence spans:
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The rise of prestige cable drama
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Complex antihero protagonists
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Psychological realism in crime fiction
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Serialized cinematic TV structure
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Imperioli’s political thought experiment demonstrates how deeply the series still resonates — not just as entertainment, but as a lens on American identity.
Whether Tony Soprano would have worn a MAGA hat remains speculative, but Imperioli’s observation highlights the enduring relevance of a show that dissected ambition, ethnicity, and power — tensions that remain central to American life today.
