People watch a lot of reality TV — and today the flashy, combative presentation styles of reality TV and television news are often virtually indistinguishable. After hosting 14 seasons of The Apprentice, Trump was already thoroughly ingrained in a lot of people's minds as a 'straight-talking, tell it like it is' successful businessman. Viewers may have laughed at him a little (the hair, the tan), but many also respected and laughed with him — a large part of that show's appeal was a sort of manufactured schadenfreude at seeing contestants' incompetence and pretentions exposed by Trump. No other politician has had this kind of lengthy, controlled exposure and image-defining before running for President.
To answer Ralph's question, I think Randy Newman put it pretty well in his song 'Rednecks' (writing in character and about someone else)
'Well, he may be a fool but he's our fool
If they think they're better than him they're wrong'
I do think the mainstream news media, including its nominally liberal sections who are so aghast at Trump now, have a lot to answer for, for giving his 2015/16 campaigns so much exposure and airtime because they were 'entertaining' and good for ratings.
|