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1/ Mark Burnett sold the illusion the Trump was a mega success with a reality TV show filmed on a gimcrack fake boardroom set in e eponymous Tower.
We saw it in focus groups in 2016: the mulish, intractable stupidity of Republican and white male Democratic voters.
We saw it in focus groups in 2016: the mulish, intractable stupidity of Republican and white male Democratic voters.
2/ "MISTER Trump us the richest man in America." "He's the most successful builder in New York!" "Trump is so rich, that no one could buy him!"
Even when you gave them the truth, the power of 15 years of reality TV indoctrination overcame it.
Even when you gave them the truth, the power of 15 years of reality TV indoctrination overcame it.
3/ I was screaming to Republican campaigns about this in 2015 and 16, begging them to pay attention, but for reasons you can see in my book they all had their motivations for not attacking Trump or telling the truth about his financial record.
4/ I would caution though that even as Trump's true financial picture is revealed it won't move the numbers with his base much. It will help at the margins.
It does provide fodder for hearings and has the additional benefit of sending him out of his goddamn mind.
It does provide fodder for hearings and has the additional benefit of sending him out of his goddamn mind.
5/ It's also a reminder the Trump is a masterful con man and will apply the same level of b.s. in the 2020 election that he used on his endless chain of credulous lenders; lies, fraud, deception, and falsified financials are likely going to expose him to both risk and ridicule.
