Master Level Troll
From a public relations standpoint, Donald Trump is the ultimate player. Witness what he did today. He attracted the world’s media to show up and cover his new Trump International Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC, which opened on September 12, 2016. The free press he received this week (Time Magazine and other ‘news’ sources covered the hotel) is worth millions of dollars. And he operates under the auspices of a presidential campaign.
The media showed up en masse thinking he was going to address the silly and distracting ‘birther’ claims he kept alive for years. Remember, this is the man who suggested the election could be stolen months before it happens to sow doubt in his followers’ minds. Instead of the anticipated conspiratorial, ratings-friendly conversation the new media relishes, he threw a change up and brought to the stage ex-military vets who endorsed his candidacy. He is simply, a master level troll.
Donald Trump, by virtue of name recognition and and his successful run on the Apprentice, has imprinted himself on the American psyche. That he has used the carnival barker nature of his personality to capture the vast right wing imagination, composed of even parts angst and awe shucks wonder at the Donald’s so-called business prowess, is no surprise. It is a matter of exposure and crafty manipulation. That the crowds bought it is no wonder. That the media completely failed to fully appreciate its own complicity is a larger concern.
Donald Trump has played the media (and public) better than any candidate could. This is because he is not, first and foremost, a candidate. He is The Donald. He is the embodiment of hundreds of deals with all sorts of people. The only common denominator is his name, personality, and ego. It is all about the brand. Like tearing apart an onion layer by layer, there is no ‘there’ there. This explains the daily flip flops on issues, the failure to lay out comprehensive policies and plans, the willingness to make outlandish claims, and even the love of authoritarian leaders like Putin. This is not a campaign for President, although it has masqueraded as one. It is the ultimate brand-building experiment for someone who embodies the best and worst of what America has become.
People are easily mislead and those of us in the industry know it. That is why those in public relations police themselves and belong to organizations with standards and guidelines. Mr. Trump is not bothered by any of this. With his ability to sell sizzle — a gift he has leveraged like property throughout his career (ALA Trump University) — and his opponents’ lack of likability, health status, and old school political appearances, he could actually win the presidency; a terrifying and yet revealing commentary on the state of media and the public today.