Donald Trump. Former reality TV host, sitcom guest
star, and now, the 45th President of the United States.
One may wonder how the world’s most
dominant economic and military power
elected an individual that had previously
been referred to as a ‘retro cartoon.’ What might strike someone as even more
concerning is the idea that President Trump’s cartoon-like past may have
actually helped him win the election. My
theory? America’s obsessed with reality TV.
“Psychology Today” has conducted studies to assist
researchers in theorizing why Americans obsess over reality television. Multiple
conclusions can
be made from these survey results. The inherent desire for status,
competition, and attention in many American citizens is a perfect match for the
essential components of most reality television series.
However what researchers term as ‘hyper-authenticity’ might be an even more useful attempt for explaining the results of the 2016 election.
Hyper-authenticity occurs when viewers begin to compare their own lives with
those on the reality shows they watch. This ends up having a humanizing effect
for the reality stars. Ordinary Americans fantasize
about the potentials of their own lives while they watch ‘normal’ people like themselves
on the big screen. Viewers get to picture themselves as potential celebrities,
while simultaneously picturing celebrities as everyday Americans.
If hyper-authenticity is a natural reaction for viewers of reality shows,
it makes complete sense why many Americans felt more connected to a presidential
candidate with a media background. Fans of “The Apprentice” and other reality
TV shows Trump has appeared on did not view him as a typical Politian running
for office. His relatable reality-TV personality outshined his un-relatable
Manhattan billionaire reputation. This seemed the perfect match for an America
sick of traditional politics.
As the 2016 election proved, winning the presidency
has a lot more to do with winning over the American people than winning the
political experience category. The Donald
knew how to up his reality TV ratings. He translated this knowledge into how to
get votes. Trump’s experiences in the media proved more valuable than Hillary’s
extensive political background.
Part of the explanation for why a former reality star
was elected to office has to do with America’s Presidential system of
government. Unlike in a parliamentary system, the chief executive does not have
to be the established head of the majority power to become the head of the
executive. Even a reality TV celebrity has presidential potential.
To test the theory that Trump’s time as
reality star host of “The Apprentice” actually helped him get votes, AMG conducted an online poll of
self-identified Republicans. What was most fascinating about the results was the
correlation between Trump supporters and faithful viewers of "The
Apprentice" and "Celebrity Apprentice." Trump's favorable rating was 62% among
"Apprentice" viewers, but 37% among non-viewers.
His faithful reality show fans could perhaps be one
of the most under-recognized support bases of Trump’s 2016 presidential
campaign. At the time of the election, studies showed that 1
in 4 Americans watched some form of reality television. By sticking to his TV Trump personality, “The
Donald” did not let reality show fans become an underutilized resource.
Trump’s role as host of “The Apprentice” was to assign and
assess each team’s project manager and how well a task was executed. Trump’s
questions to the teams of apprentices fueled conflict. These conflicts fueled
ratings. Trump knew that controversy was the key to keeping Americans as
intrigued viewers. His tweet last February is just one example of his attempts to keep
controversy brewing. “The
FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is
not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!”
Controversy brings attention. This knowledge
translated well into the Trump administration’s political campaigning. Pew
Research reports that 52% of Americans use
two or more social media sites. Within that 52%, Trump and Hillary supporters
obviously coexist. Yet, Trump’s background at creating a “brand” and sticking
to it proved successful. His twitter feed may be fiery, but it was, and still
is, highly effective at gaining the attention of an Internet obsessed America. Trump has 42.8 million followers on Twitter.
Hillary Clinton presents a lagging, yet still impressive amount with 19.8
million Twitter followers. In contrast, former Texas Senator and candidate for
the Republican nomination, Ted Cruz has 3 million followers. Other politicians
that were up for the nomination bring even lower followings with 1.4 million
followers for Jeb Bush, for example.
Trump’s dominance is characteristic of both his role
as host of “The Apprentice” and, now, President. The show’s catchphrase “you’re fired“ would
fit well into Trump’s current Twitter feed. The parallels between Trump the TV
host and Trump the President are frighteningly strong. Trump was aware of the necessity of viewership to keep “The
Apprentice” on air. He knew his fiery attitude kept viewers tuned in to his
show, so why not assume it would keep voters intrigued and to the polls.
The leader-personality that was essential to Trump’s
media/campaigning brand was the perfect fit for a change-inspiring platform. Trump’s
character as host of “The Apprentice” not only portrayed him as an effective
boss, but also a powerful leader; two essential attributes for a Presidential
candidate. Which is more convincing of a need for change? “Make American Great
Again” spoken with a gentle tone? Or the same catchphrase from a loud, dominate
character like Trump.
The election of Donald Trump reveals the necessity of knowing the voter
for politicians. You cannot stay on air without enough views, as you cannot win
an election without votes. Trump
claimed that “The Apprentice” was the No. 1 show in TV long after it had
fallen in ratings. There is no denying that Trump obsesses over ratings.
But is
that really something to be criticizing?
His
knowledge on how to improve ratings proved beneficial in the 2016 election. TV Trump knew how to draw in viewers so political
candidate Trump knew how to attract voters.
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