This is not a joke, Donald Trump is still in the lead. Despite being mocked by pundits and fellow Republican candidates alike, The Donald continues to be a front-runner in the polls for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. His stump speeches avoid policy, focusing instead on creating his narrative as the billionaire underdog who will bring our country back.
Back from what? He’s vague. He dodges questions regarding implementing his immigration policy, then leads supporters in a chant of “Build that wall!” In the media he responds to criticism through petty insults and threats. He is openly racist, combative, verbose and…still in the lead.
How can Donald Trump, reality TV star and hair disaster, parlay his aggressive rhetoric and punchline status into a successful campaign? The answer is both grim and goofy. Donald Trump has keyed into an essential element of American politics: the presidential primary campaign is a reality show.
The setup is standard. The candidates vie for popular opinion through posturing and calculated conflicts. They appear on major news networks for sound bites in talking-head style confessionals and voice their dissatisfaction or support for other candidates. Alliances and enemies are both created. Then, they all meet for a major tribal council: the debates, where they battle charisma for the public to decide the survivor.
Where The Donald fits in is that he is the only reality star in the bunch. His focus on charisma communicates what has been a lingering reality of American politics since the Kennedy-Nixon Debates: policy is secondary to delivery. In the primaries the candidates’ talking points are not radically different from their party platform. Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz both support death penalty—what a surprise.
Donald Trump’s TV antics separate him from the other candidates because he knows that minor policy differences do not create buzz. He knows that the Real Housewives do not make headlines because they debate the subtleties of their Chardonnay, but because they throw it on each other. Donald Trump exploits this dynamic. From his claim that Mexican immigrants “are rapists,” to stating that debate moderator Megan Kelly had “blood coming out of her wherever,” Donald Trump throws wine and grabs headlines.
Perhaps the one bright spot of this ordeal, and the major flaw in Donald Trump’s campaign thus far, is that the archetypal reality TV role he has assumed is the villain. While these antics may work early on, he has offended both parties and is not a viable candidate for the general election.
With Trump's disparaging comments toward women and immigrants, and his ultraconservative rhetoric, it’s hard to imagine that Trump could sway moderates. He will be what makes other candidates, like the rising Ben Carson, look presidential by comparison.
The GOP understands Trump’s tactics and does not appreciate his methods. Their only reason for not outright condemning him is his threat to steal Republican votes as a third party candidate. So, it’s hard to imagine Trump, the comb-over-wine-thrower, really going the distance, but, for now, this is not a joke, Donald Trump is still in the lead.
