Trump and the art of marketing himself

The Trump riddle continues to compel: How has he managed to successfully execute such a mass deception?

He’s by no definition a conservative, and yet he continues to plow ahead of all but the other least likely presidential nominee, Ben Carson, who has tied Trump in Iowa. Straight talk? Old hat. Tall and commanding? So is LeBron, let’s elect him. Smart and accomplished? Born lucky and benefited from bankruptcy.

Reporters have turned over leaves and pebbles in search of clues, even recently interviewing faculty at Trump’s alma mater, the Wharton School. While demurring on Trump’s politics, professors commended his marketing skills — short sentences, simple ideas, control of the conversation and, therefore, the media.

Marketing, after all, is a system of deceptions organized around a product or idea, in this case Trump to conservatives who either aren’t really conservative or are willingly seduced because, oh, it just feels so good to hear one’s innermost thoughts expressed so virulently.

Into this category falls Trump’s recent tirade against Huma Abedin, known as Hillary Clinton’s closest adviser and even better as Anthony Weiner’s wife. Trump liberated his inner Chris Rock, calling Weiner “a perv” and mock typing Weiner’s infamous tweets.

As his audience guffawed, Trump questioned the likelihood of Weiner’s not being privy to classified State Department information via his wife. Now that’s funny. Trump doesn’t care what state secrets Weiner knows. Trump wants people to associate the “perv” with Hillary Clinton.

Similarly, he wants to associate murderous illegal immigrants with Jeb Bush. A recent Trump campaign video challenging Bush’s immigration comment that people come here illegally as an “act of love” (to find work to support their families) features three grisly hombres in the U.S. illegally who have been charged with murder. One has been convicted.

“Love?” the text reads. “Forget love. It’s time to get tough!”

Genius. Trump is a human handler extraordinaire — the jet-set equivalent of the black-hatted fellow who wheeled his cart into tumbleweed towns. He doesn’t just sell snake oil. He milks the venom from the gathering throng of willing believers, then bottles it up and sells it right back to them. Delicious with raw meat.

There’s something curious about this crowd, however. Trump’s fans aren’t just pokes looking for entertainment. They also include many well-known conservative purists. How does a staunchly pro-life advocate support a man who was recently pro-choice and who has said, albeit when asked, that his sister, a judge who ruled in favor of partial-birth abortion, would make a “phenomenal” Supreme Court justice?

Much of this puzzling support comes from conservative talk radio. As BuzzFeed posted recently, “You can almost listen to pro-Trump news all day.”

When answers seem elusive — and overturned pebbles reveal only dirt and worm trails — we fall back on cliches, one of which seems especially apt today: Follow the money.

In Trump’s own words from an interview with the Wall Street Journal, “When you give [money], they do whatever the hell you want them to do.”

And, in the GOP debate: “With Hillary Clinton, I said be at my wedding and she came to my wedding. You know why? She didn’t have a choice because I gave … to a foundation.”

Perhaps it’s time to award Trump the title he deserves — Don Donald Trump, or just Don-Don for short. And then one must ask, who else owes him?

Fans boast that Trump is so rich, he’ll never be beholden to anyone. Maybe. But just as important, who is beholden to him? Other politicians? Members of the media? Insiders whisper that some media folks have received free memberships to Trump’s Palm Beach club, Mar-a-Lago. Such a gift doesn’t necessarily buy favorable coverage, but one wouldn’t be silly for thinking so.

Meanwhile, Trump’s kerfuffle with Fox News’ Megyn Kelly seems in retrospect almost to have been manufactured. First, Kelly asks a legitimate question about Trump’s intemperate remarks about women; he attacks; she goes on vacation and returns; he attacks again. Ratings! Polls! Now Fox News hosts are urging, as if reading from a script, that Trump focus on the issues — because he’s sooo great on the issues — and leave our Megyn alone.

Trump knows he has the world over a barrel. His opponents fear him because he gave them money. His party fears him because he might run as an independent. We should all fear a presidential candidate who perfumes the air with red meat and is prepared to collect on his debts.

It’s time for Trump’s fellow candidates to forget love — and get tough.

Kathleen Parker’s email address is kathleenparker@washpost.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

toon
Editorial cartoons for Tuesday, March 19

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Students use a 3D model to demonstrate their groups traffic solutions at Hazelwood Elementary School on Wednesday, March 29, 2023 in Lynnwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Your choice, drivers; slow down or pay up

More traffic cameras will soon be in use in cities and highways, with steep penalties for violations.

Protect Affordable Care Act by rejecting Trump

The stakes are high in this year’s presidential election. If candidate Donald… Continue reading

Support candidates who support schools

I promised I would stop writing these letters because the gates of… Continue reading

Biden must stop supplying weapons to Israel, Ukraine

Bad foreign policy will come back to haunt us in the long… Continue reading

Comment: Flow of U.S. guns into Mexico is other border crisis

Guns, legal and illegal, are contributing to crime and instability in Mexico, driving many to seek asylum.

RGB version
Editorial cartoons for Monday, March 18

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Carson gets a chance to sound the horn in an Everett Fire Department engine with the help of captain Jason Brock during a surprise Make-A-Wish sendoff Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, at Thornton A. Sullivan Park in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Editorial: Everett voters will set course for city finances

This fall and in coming years, they will be asked how to fund and support the services they use.

Devotees of TikTok, Mona Swain, center, and her sister, Rachel Swain, right, both of Atlanta, monitor voting at the Capitol in Washington, as the House passed a bill that would lead to a nationwide ban of the popular video app if its China-based owner doesn't sell, Wednesday, March 13, 2024. Lawmakers contend the app's owner, ByteDance, is beholden to the Chinese government, which could demand access to the data of TikTok's consumers in the U.S. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Editorial: Forced sale of TikTok ignores network of problems

The removal of a Chinese company would still leave concerns for data privacy and the content on apps.

Rep. Strom Peterson, D-Edmonds, watches the State of the State speech by Gov. Jay Inslee on the second day of the legislative session at the Washington state Capitol, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Olympia, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Editorial: Legislature has its own production of ‘The Holdovers’

What state lawmakers left behind in good ideas that should get more attention and passage next year.

Comment: Measles outbreaks show importance of MMR vaccinations

The highly contagious disease requires a 95 percent vaccination rate to limit the spread of outbreaks.

Harrop: Should ‘affordable’ come at cost of quality of living?

As states push their cities to ignore zoning rules, the YIMBYs are covering for developers.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.