Back in January I wrote about the power of “The Push,” Donald Trump’s strategy for trumping the press. (You can read it here.) I didn’t coin that phrase. Trump did. Back in 1987. In his book, “The Art of the Deal.”
Here’s what he wrote: “My style of deal-making is quite simple and straightforward. I aim very high, and then I just keep pushing and pushing and pushing to get what I’m after.”
Here’s another of The Donald’s nuggets:
“One thing I’ve learned about the press is that they’re always hungry for a good story, and the more sensational the better. It’s in the nature of the job, and I understand that. The point is that if you are a little different, or a little outrageous, or if you do things that are bold or controversial, the press is going to write about you.”
Trump played the press. From day one. Like a master impresario. They played along — not because they wanted to; they were drawn in by a deadly mix of compulsion, convulsion, and revulsion, like a naive bug enticed by an exotic carnivorous plant.
Trump made the media money — lots of it. They hated him for it. The more they hated him, the more they covered him, the more ratings rose.
Google codependency, and here’s what you get:
“Codependent relationships are a type of dysfunctional helping relationship where one person supports or enables another person’s addiction, poor mental health, immaturity, irresponsibility, or under-achievement.”
If there is a history after a Trump presidency, a dysfunctional press will be one of the line items to ponder. If one of those historians is viewing this post, please do me a favor: Read “The Art of the Deal.” It’s uncomfortably apparent that the current crop of reporters and pundits never took the time to do so.
Jim Lamb is a retired journalist and author of “Orange Socks & Other Colorful Tales,” the story of how he survived Vietnam and kept his sense of humor. He majored in political science at the University of South Florida. For more about Jim and his writing, visit www.jslstories.com.
