Donald Trump gets more than enough media coverage. However, it is intriguing to question why he is in serious contention to be the Republican nominee when, in the beginning of this race, we didn’t even think he’d get this far. A persistent theme in his campaign includes projecting insults aimed toward many groups of people: women, Mexicans, Muslims and even the disabled.
Now that he is dominating in the polls, people are starting to be genuinely frightened.
Although it isn’t productive to cast blame, it’s important to find out what has been the cause of Donald Trump's rise because it definitely isn’t his incredible platform...or lack thereof.
One answer can be the news media. Cable news can’t get enough out of him. Networks such as CBS, Fox News, and CNN are doing their job by covering the frontrunner in the presidential race; however, it’s more than that.
“Trump is the media’s addiction. When he speaks, he’s given something no other candidate gets. That’s wall-to-wall coverage,” says CNN media reporter Brian Stelter, “he sucks up all the oxygen.”
Trump is a champion when it comes to earned media commentary about his campaign that he did not pay for. According to The New York Times, over the course of the campaign, he has earned close to $2 billion worth of media attention. Over 2,000 CNN reports have exclusively covered Trump, and that’s just one network.
We have to admit, Trump is entertaining. He’s strange and unpredictable. He doesn't care about political correctness or insulting people, and he doesn't enter any conversation with caution.
Social media has made a joke out of Trump. Some examples include:
Jimmy Fallon's hilarious sketch impersonating Donald Trump:
and a video someone made about making a "Trump Cake" that included ingredient such as tears of the poor and a toupee:
These are only two funny examples in the sea of videos that are difficult to avoid on social media, but he’s no laughing matter. You would think that all that negativity toward one candidate would drive him down in the polls, but in fact, he still climbs to the top.
Laughing at an egotistical bully does not stop them--it energizes them. Trump is shameless.
There is something dangerous about illuminating Trump as a comedic clown. He shouldn’t get this much attention. We are so busy laughing at him that we them lose sight of the threat he poses. We have allowed Trump to thrive in an environment of political entertainment. Is this what politics should be about?
Should we cast all the blame on Trump Twitter followers or CNN and Fox News? Absolutely not. People just need to realize what is at stake. Cut through the drama and the noise and become active consumers of the media you expose yourself to.
