Oh I don't think so. I think after a lifetime of being himself, the pursuit of attention and self-promotion is practically stamped into his genome by now. Whenever he hurts his brand it's just because he's doing it poorly.
If you try and look at it from the inside, the progression is obvious:
1. I'm rich, I like self-promotion, I've always had a low opinion of politicians and government, I have a reality show background.
2. The GOP base is angry at politicians and government, and they're familiar with my show. They're also a house divided, and cannot settle on a clear frontrunner candidate. I can get into this with a splash to promote my brand and have fun making drama, by embodying the rage of the GOP base.
3. Wow, I've caught on. The level of media exposure I'm getting is totally unreal. I'm a household name. I should keep this up for as long as possible. So much free press!
4. Okay, I've identified a base of supporters that is totally in thrall to me. I need to feed them red meat, all the time. I want them hooked. I want them to need me like a drug. Fuck the government ("how stupid is our government?"), fuck hollywood ("a bunch of losers"), fuck the other news media ("they're in the tank for Hillary") - fuck all the other sources of information and empowerment you could choose, they are all evil. Only I can be trusted.
5. Oops, the election actually has an end date. Time to pivot. News network? Another TV show? Think, Trumpy, think. What's the best way to profit off this?
If you try and look at it from the inside, the progression is obvious:
1. I'm rich, I like self-promotion, I've always had a low opinion of politicians and government, I have a reality show background.
2. The GOP base is angry at politicians and government, and they're familiar with my show. They're also a house divided, and cannot settle on a clear frontrunner candidate. I can get into this with a splash to promote my brand and have fun making drama, by embodying the rage of the GOP base.
3. Wow, I've caught on. The level of media exposure I'm getting is totally unreal. I'm a household name. I should keep this up for as long as possible. So much free press!
4. Okay, I've identified a base of supporters that is totally in thrall to me. I need to feed them red meat, all the time. I want them hooked. I want them to need me like a drug. Fuck the government ("how stupid is our government?"), fuck hollywood ("a bunch of losers"), fuck the other news media ("they're in the tank for Hillary") - fuck all the other sources of information and empowerment you could choose, they are all evil. Only I can be trusted.
5. Oops, the election actually has an end date. Time to pivot. News network? Another TV show? Think, Trumpy, think. What's the best way to profit off this?
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