Awaiting Official Inauguration, Trump Labeled as Unofficial President-Elect
In the political landscape of the United States, Donald Trump's ascension to prominence has been nothing short of extraordinary. His journey can be analysed through the lens of Daniel Boorstin's concept of the pseudo-event, a term that describes events manufactured primarily to gain media attention rather than reflect genuine significance.
Trump's political ascent has often relied on creating highly planned and staged events, statements, or controversies designed specifically to dominate news cycles and social media, thereby creating an illusion of importance and political momentum. These pseudo-events generate continuous media coverage, helping Trump command public attention and shape public perception despite the often limited substantive content behind them.
According to Boorstin, a pseudo-event is not spontaneous but carefully orchestrated to be reported by the media, often blurring the line between reality and spectacle. Trump's frequent use of rallies, provocative tweets, public feuds, and sensational claims fits this model, as these acts are crafted to provoke strong media reactions and keep the focus on him.
For instance, Trump's rallies serve not just as political gatherings but as media spectacles engineered to maintain public visibility and narrative control. Moreover, Renée DiResta extends Boorstin’s idea by describing how such pseudo-events, once generated and amplified by both traditional media and social media, create a "pseudo-reality" or "narrative laundering", where repeated coverage and sharing by influencers and followers manufacture a perception of real political influence or urgency even when the events themselves may lack substantive grounding.
Trump's opposition to offshore wind farms was due to his claim that they would spoil the sea views of his wealthy clients. Despite this, his success in the primaries has given him momentum and credibility among GOP voters. However, his political career has not been without controversy. He has offended various groups, including Muslims, Mexicans, women, the pope, peaceful protesters, and the residents of Brussels.
His campaign slogan "I'll spill the beans on your wife" makes him appear as an uncivil boor and a figure of fun. Furthermore, his attack on Ted Cruz's spouse is a form of dirty fighting, confirming stereotypes associated with him. It's worth noting that his ambassadorial status was not removed until December 2015 when he called for the banning of all Muslims from the US.
Daniel Boorstin's book, "The Image", is relevant to our mediated politics due to its identification of the rise of celebrity as a key criteria of fame and power. Trump's rise is seen as a triumph of the image, the name, and the media persona over hard-won knowledge and political wisdom.
The Scottish government fell out with Trump over his opposition to offshore wind farms. Interestingly, the Scottish National Party endorsed Trump, despite this disagreement. The rest of the world watches US events with dropped jaws and wide-open mouths, unsure of where the election journey will end.
Trump's brief flirtation with being a serious politician in Australia is compared to Pauline Hanson and Clive Palmer. As the US finds itself in uncharted electoral territory with Trump's primary success, making him even more newsworthy and media-friendly, it remains to be seen how this unprecedented political journey will unfold.
[1] DiResta, R. (2016). The Viral Spiral: How Controversies Proliferate on the Internet. Medium. [2] DiResta, R. (2018). The Real Story of Fake News. The Atlantic. [5] Crovitz, L. G. (2016). The Trump Phenomenon: A Reality TV President. The Wall Street Journal.
Entertainment often intertwines with politics in the digital age, as social media platforms have become a battleground for creating pseudo-events. For example, Donald Trump's frequent use of personally provocative tweets can be seen as a form of media spectacle, designed to generate widespread media coverage and shape public perceptions, as described by Renée DiResta. [DiResta, 2016]
Political events are increasingly indistinguishable from general-news stories, as both traditional media and social media help create a "pseudo-reality" or "narrative laundering," manufacturing a perception of political influence or urgency even when the events themselves may lack substantive grounding. [DiResta, 2018]
