In Donald Trump's America, "fake news" reigns supreme in the game of politics, but its effects have shockingly proven to work in the president's favor.
Despite the victim status Trump often assumes in the face of critical journalism (encompassing anyone he calls a "hater"), the force of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign was largely bolstered by how highly publicized his candidacy was, and the man is hardly unaware. He might act ignorant and speak ignorantly and be an altogether ignorant person, but his ongoing strategy to dominate the 24-hour news cycle is what launched him to the forefront of the election and what continues to propel controversial candidates to prominent positions in office.
Since the common reasoning of "all publicity is good publicity" seems faulty, the support behind Trump's presidency continues to leave his critics dumbfounded. In reality, the process is simple: the more coverage of Donald Trump's constant controversial behavior coupled with bouts of "liberal outrage," the more inclined conservatives are to defend him. This in turn only strengthens the support behind Trump by unifying conservatives against the idea of "liberal snowflakes," the stereotype of left-leaning Americans as weak-willed and sensitive.
While I personally don't agree with much of what the president does, the daily obsession over his latest screw-up does often feel like an ongoing, fruitless attempt to discredit him in front of his supporters.
Now, Georgia gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp has thrived on that same Trump-like foundation, with his campaign relying heavily on an endorsement from Trump himself and on garnering media attention from similar controversies. Last April, his campaign released a video ad in which he held a shotgun to a teenager's face while the young man recited major aspects of Kemp's platform. The ad was short and abrasive, but it clearly conveyed Kemp's Second Amendment advocacy, albeit not in the most appropriate manner.
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The ad has since become a major talking point for Georgia Democrats' negative campaigning, and while it's obvious where the outrage is coming from, Kemp's ad is clearly dramatized and exaggerated. Many of Kemp's video ads are hilariously bombastic in their unapologetic embrace of the Georgia Republican stereotype.
Kemp's video is either not meant to be taken seriously or designed specifically for that purpose, as low-hanging fruit to incite needless outrage among his critics. In either case, giving Kemp media attention is not the solution.
Only time will tell what effect Kemp's strategy has on Georgia's election results, but I'm willing to bet the go-to strategy for Democrats (shedding crocodile tears over every vaguely offensive action) is likely to backfire, just like it did two years ago.
Before he became president, Donald Trump was already one of the most powerful people in America. When it came to his campaign, he had plenty of money to spare, which makes it especially frustrating that the vast majority of his campaign's advertising was done for absolutely no cost and with little effort on his end.
With outlets like CNN and NPR bashing him at every turn, it's become even easier for MAGA-capped Trump supporters to digest the narrative of "fake news" he's shoving down their throats.
