So, Can Anyone Become President?
When I first heard that Donald Trump was running for president I thought it was some sort of joke. Being a teenager, I only really knew him from “you’re fired”, his infamous scene in Home Alone and the Miss Universe pageants. Sure, he has a ton of money and publicity, but what does he truly know about running a country? Fast forward and we are seeing the answer to that question right before our eyes; not much.
Trump’s presidency has raised many questions about the future of US presidents. His election has pushed true career politicians into the dark. When asked about someone like Kamala Harris, I genuinely did not know who she was. While I’m not American, that is still scary. To think, I have better knowledge of celebrity figures over professionals when it comes to politics. I know there has been talk about several people running, like Kanye West, Oprah and The Rock, but I can’t tell you who in the world of politics will be running. All of my knowledge has come from one place; social media. So, maybe it is not Trump’s presidency that has pushed these politicians into the dark, maybe it’s the world of social media.
Going back to Trump, part of his campaign was his ridiculous tweets. It is still a big part of his presidency.
He basically tweets whatever comes to mind, and it is highly unprofessional and usually frustrating and offensive.
Now we see how much power celebrities have online. Well, what does this mean for the politicians? Someone like Kanye West has built up an online brand for years. We know him as Yeezy and his persona comes through his wife, Kim Kardashian-West, as well. Even with Kanye not currently on Twitter, he still is tweeted about and discussed. If he does truly run for president, all he has to do is throw his campaign on his socials and he already has a following. As I said, Kanye has been around forever, so this brand has been built for years. For a career politician, they may be building their online brand, but most are not universally recognized. They are strides behind in this sense. Someone like Kamala Harris will had to put in double the work online. They need to find a target and position themselves there. As well, they have to find that unique trait they can throw into their platforms to be heard. They will have to target the weakness of their opponent and centre their strengths around it.
It’s sad to say but I don’t think they stand a chance online. The digital generation is already fixated on these celebrities and it will take a lot to get their attention elsewhere. Trump has (sadly) paved the way for celebrities to take over America over professionals who ACTUALLY have a career in politics. Right now, I sit here in 2018 and say Donald Trump is the president of the USA. I think in 2 years, in 2020, I will sit here and say Kanye West is the president of the USA.
