Trump establishes personal media empire within the White House
New Media Reality at the White House:
From memes mocking presidencies to hidden briefings for loyal outlets, the current White House administration is crafting its own media bubble. Forged under President Trump's resurgence in 2021, this alternate reality is growing more prominent as the War on Traditional Press intensifies.
Instead of collaborating with mainstream media, Trump's team is working closely with conservative "new media," reflecting a shift in communications strategy. The new approach, while rooted in the president's past success in social media, promises to elevate this campaign-style tactic to a level unprecedented in the heart of U.S. governance.
One prime example is Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt's exclusive briefings reserved for a select group of right-wing outlets. Such sessions bear no resemblance to conventional White House press briefings, often held in a separate auditorium locked away from the traditional press.
Last week, Lucre Dom, a QAnon supporter, posed a question during a briefing about investigating former president Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. The White House refrained from commenting on this new strategy.
Several news outlets like Axios have noted this shift, calling Trump's White House the "hottest right-wing media outlet" of the moment. This could potentially create an "echo chamber," warns Sonia Gipson Rankin, a University of New Mexico law professor.
The echo chamber risk expands when considering other aspects of the White House's media strategy, such as the "White House Wire." This new platform resembles the Drudge Report, providing links to favorable stories and the administration's social media content. It saw endorsement from Trump's son, Don Jr., who welcomed it as a symbolic "middle finger" to the mainstream media.
The White House has also tightened its grip on event coverage, diminishing the reach of mainstream news wires like Associated Press. This came after a disagreement over terminology, with the administration insisting on referring to the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America."
Furthermore, the administration has become more reliant on memes to engage and energize supporters. While some of these memes may generate controversy, Trump's team appears unconcerned, embracing conflict as a means to gain attention and polarize public opinion.
In April, Trump's Truth Social account shared an image featuring him as a pope, sparking backlash just days after Pope Francis' funeral. Trump later acknowledged that he had not personally posted the meme but claimed his wife found it "cute." Similarly, on "May the Fourth," the official White House account posted a meme featuring a muscular Trump armed with a lightsaber – a choice that led to criticism due to the character's association with the Dark Side in the Star Wars universe.
When asked about the pope meme, Trump dismissed critics, telling reporters, "They can't take a joke." This dismissive attitude seems to reflect Trump's willingness to engage in controversial content to capture public attention and amplify his message within his self-created media bubble.
- The White House administration, under President Trump's leadership, has been crafting an alternate media reality that began to take form in 2021.
- This new media reality, characterized by memes and exclusive briefings for loyal outlets, is growing more prominent, particularly as the War on Traditional Press intensifies.
- AI-driven platforms and tech innovations are playing a significant role in this shift, exemplified by the White House Wire, a new platform similar to the Drudge Report.
- The White House Wire, endorsed by Trump's son, functions as a means to distribute links to favorable stories and the administration's social media content.
- Amidst policy-and-legislation discussions, politics, and pop-culture, this new media strategy has led to concerns about an 'echo chamber' effect, potentially skewing general-news portrayals.
- The administration has also been relying on memes to engage and energize supporters, sparking backlash due to their controversial nature, as evidenced by the pope meme controversy.
- In line with this strategy, the White House has tightened its grip on event coverage, potentially impacting the reach of mainstream news wires like the Associated Press.
- The administration's liberal use of social media and celebrity endorsements, such as Trump's Truth Social account and the muscular Trump lightsaber meme shared by the White House, underscore their campaign-style approach in using technology to gain, maintain, and polarize public opinion.
