Most people think the Republicans and far right faction found Trump and made him their king, but have you ever considered that he found them instead?
Say what you will about Trump, he does have many talents. He wouldn’t have been able to take over the Republican party and half the electorate in the United States if he did not have something other candidates lack.
People may call him ill informed, obtuse, impulsive, and just not very bright; while that may or may not be true, he does have a few characteristics that enabled him to take over on such a large scale. How did he do it? How did he brainwash half the country into believing everything he said without question?
It starts with image.
Trump is an expert at polishing his image. The Trump brand alone is one of the world’s most recognized. People have long associated the name Trump with that of quality and exclusivity. When people see the name on the side of a hotel, office building or golf course, they automatically assume the hotel is 5-star, the downtown tower is class A office space, and the golf course is among the most prestigious in the world; and they would be right.
This didn’t all happen by accident though. Long before Trump decided to get into politics, he knew the value of a brand and set out to make his brand one of the world’s most coveted and recognizable. A smart move because that enabled him to use it for leverage. I’m sure that in many business negotiations, he used his brand to his advantage.
The Apprentice
Trump starred in his very own reality tv show, The Apprentice, which aired in 2004. As if he weren’t already a household name, this show, which ran for 14 seasons, really catapulted him to one of the most recognizable figures on the planet.
Like most reality shows, much of it was probably scripted and basically made Trump look like some sort of business guru/genius. As the big boss, he got to decide who had the talent to move on and who he had to fire. It was a popular series.
The Far Right was already in place
When he decided to run for president in 2016, he already had massive star power and appeal. My guess is that he saw an opportunity to position himself as a far right candidate, cozying up to a disgruntled faction of republicans that had been sitting in the wings for years, waiting for their chance; waiting for a popular leader that could get things done and who could speak for them. These people believed their country was falling apart and were desperate to return to what they considered normal times and traditional values.
Some were a little more radical than the rest, branching out into organizations such as the Proud Boys, The Oath Keepers, and various white supremacy groups. I’m not sure Trump even knew what he was getting into at first. Needless to say, it was a powder keg waiting for a fuse and someone to light it.
He came off as a businessman who could get the job done. Of course, the proof was his role as the big boss on The Apprentice. The average person saw him as a larger than life figure who was now ready to listen to their grievances and fight for them. As crazy as that sounds, we all gravitate towards star power and when someone as well known as Trump says he is going to be in your corner, well, that’s a great honour to some.
And the rest is history, as they say. As time went on, Trump became finely tuned to what his base was all about and what would make them unquestionably loyal to him. He played the part perfectly. Today, the result is that millions are so fiercely loyal to him that he could literally do anything and it wouldn’t sway their opinion of him. Some might even call it brainwashing.
So that, in my opinion, is the gist of it. That seems to be the path Trump took. Could this work for any other Republican? Very unlikely – he’s an original and no one else is likely to have that kind of mass appeal.
He’s not a young man anymore (far from it), so what happens when he’s not able to fulfill the role? Is there anyone else that has the star power to take over? Not really; many feel that Don Jr could step in and take over, but people aren’t going to follow him like his dad. Trump is an original and the far right know this.
Maybe some of his close advisors/associates like Stephen Miller, Steve Bannon, Mike Flynn, or his son-in-law, Jared Kushner could take over? Nah, again, for the reasons I mentioned above (zero star power). Though much of the original thinking, scheming and plotting likely originates from these people, it’s Trump that presents it to the world, and no one does it like he does. I mean, no one is going to listen to Stephen Miller; that’s why he works behind the scenes.
So once Trump is gone, is that the end of the extremist MAGA movement? Hard to say.
It’s anyone’s guess as to where this goes.
