Mr. Donald Trump is no fan of the mainstream media, despite his campaign succeeding because of it.
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Mr. Donald Trump, the often hypocritical though rarely humble billionaire who’s running for President of the United States as a Republican, claims proudly that he’s self-funding his campaign, which, as a result, makes him beholden to no one. With his deep pockets, Mr. Trump, a real-estate magnate who considers himself the ultimate deal maker—a quality, he says, that’s needed in the next person that occupies the White House after Mr. Barack Obama, a former Chicago Senator who has little-to-no experience in business—could also afford to pay for a flock of reporters to document (and market) his campaign, instead of relying on for building public awareness, then criticizing at every turn, the mainstream media.
Additionally, the front-runner among Republican Presidential candidates could, without breaking the bank, purchase or upstart a digital media operation to right the many wrongs he claims the press is guilty of. But, for whatever reason, Mr. Trump doesn’t do that. He, instead, prefers to insult, harass and, in at least one case, mock members of the media, who are, for the most part, defenseless to the attacks.
As Mr. Eric Boehlert, a former writer at Salon and once a contributing editor to Rolling Stone, noted recently in a piece that originally appeared at Media Matters but has since been re-published, Mr. Trump had Mr. Trip Gabriel, a New York Times reporter, tossed out of his event; has repeatedly bashed Fox News host Ms. Megyn Kelly; has called NBC’s Mr. Chuck Todd pathetic; had Mr. Jorge Ramos, a Univision anchor, physical removed from a press conference; and “barred a BuzzFeed reporter from attending an event in Netwon, Iowa.”
Quite literally, Mr. Trump, who now has a double-digit lead in Iowa before the caucuses begin there in a little over a week, is biting the hands that feed him. Mr. Trump may not admit it, but his successful campaign is due almost entirely to the millions of dollars in earned national media he’s been able to secure. And though I’m sure journalists, especially those being picked on by the billionaire and/or his campaign staffers and security, would prefer to not cover him anymore, the media bosses understand that Mr. Trump is a ratings machine. Thus, it’s worth dealing with whatever controversy or turmoil results from their coverage of him.
For example, when Mr. Trump hosted ‘Saturday Night Live’ many activists convened outside the studio in protest. And prior to the broadcast, a petition asking the network to resend their invitation was widely circulated. Both actions weren’t enough to get NBC to “Dump Trump” and his appearance generated the highest ratings the live show had seen in years. When asked whether his appearance was worth the headache, NBC Entertainment Chief Mr. Bob Greenblatt said “I think it was,” adding that he had no regrets, the Huffington Post reported.
Mr. Trump understands, if nothing else, the value of leverage. He’s the candidate everyone loves to hate, but he’s also the candidate that, apparently, everyone wants to see, hear and experience. Mr. Trump is aware that in this difficult economic time for media companies, he’s the proverbial golden goose: he provides the media with his relentless rhetoric, which, in turn, draws a sizable audience, though many, I assume, look on just to find something to critique. Mr. Trump is also aware that though some of the press may be, as he claims, unfair, the media at-large won’t abandon covering his campaign, thus he won’t stop his offensive and angry speech; and people, despite their dismay, will continue to consume news coverage about, as Mr. Greenblatt describes him, “one of the most political figures of our time.”
To his credit, Mr. Trump has accomplished what few others have been able to: routinely bite the hands that feed you while worrying not of starving.
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