I am not a fan of The Donald. In an era of me first, me later, and me all the time politics, he is the epitome of self-promotion. However, as a student and observer of politics, who gets paid to teach it to college students who may be future politicians one day – I have to tip my hat to Donald Trump because he OWNS THE MEDIA.
Since Bill Clinton’s election in 1992, the media has picked winners and losers because of their inherent bias for the story. While personal bias of reporters and so-called analysts may be liberal, the corporate bias is to get more viewers and thereby make more money from potential advertisers. The media abhors Trump but the bottom line forces them to cover him or else they lose viewers.
Trump knows this. Instead of letting the media set the stage and set him up, Trump has turned the tables on Fox News of all people brilliantly. The latest calculated step by Trump has no downside. He owns the airwaves before the debate because every outlet is writing about the fact he won’t be there. He owns the debate event because of his absence. I guarantee he will own the post-debate remarks with a flurry of Twitter posts which will demean all of his competitors, and if Fox News numbers plummet (which they likely will), Trump will own the Sunday morning shows by showing how important he is to the process in the media’s own currency – numbers of eyeballs watching Thursday’s debate.
Donald Trump OWNS the media and has beaten them at their game. The media has only enabled the rise of Trump, with this bone-headed move by Fox News, they are giving him added credibility in the minds of Americans who are fed up with the status quo of king makers and the political establishment.
Faculty, Department of Political Science, Towson University. Graduate from Liberty University Seminary.