Election 2016 – Why Defeating Trump Won’t Make Trump Go Away

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In the wake of Trump’s recent hiring of Breitbart’s Stephen Bannon to campaign CEO, a June article published in Vanity Fair is now receiving a lot of attention.

Here are a few excerpts from the article, Is Donald Trump’s Endgame the Launch of Trump News?

The breakout media star of 2016 is, inarguably, Donald Trump, who has masterfully—and horrifyingly—demonstrated an aptitude for manipulating the news cycle, gaining billions of dollars worth of free airtime, and dominating coverage on every screen. Now, several people around him are looking for a way to leverage his supporters into a new media platform and cable channel. 

Trump is indeed considering creating his own media business, built on the audience that has supported him thus far in his bid to become the next president of the United States. According to several people briefed on the discussions, the presumptive Republican nominee is examining the opportunity presented by the “audience” currently supporting him. He has also discussed the possibility of launching a “mini-media conglomerate” outside of his existing TV-production business, Trump Productions LLC. He has, according to one of these people, enlisted the consultation of his daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who owns the The New York Observer. Trump’s rationale, according to this person, is that, “win or lose, we are onto something here. We’ve triggered a base of the population that hasn’t had a voice in a long time.” For his part, Kushner was heard at a New York dinner party saying that “the people here don’t understand what I’m seeing. You go to these arenas and people go crazy for him.” (Both Kushner and Ivanka Trump did not respond to a request for comment)…

Trump has proved that he no longer needs the platform that news outlets have traditionally provided for candidates. As my colleague Nick Bilton has noted, Trump has mastered the attention war on social media and discovered a preternatural ability to tap into his base directly. Love him or despise him, Trump indisputably has the finger on the pulse of his audience. And this connection could certainly facilitate such a hypothetical mini-media conglomerate. “Even old Fox News didn’t have the right read on what the base is,” one person briefed on the conversation told me. “And we do.” 

So why am I highlighting this story? First, I think the analysis is correct, and I agree with the presumption that Donald Trump could very well launch a major media organization if he loses the election. There’s no way a man with the disposition and ego of Trump will fade away quietly from the public square. Furthermore, he’s now got tens of millions of supporters who will be looking for someone to give them direction. He’ll be more than happy to fulfill that role.

So if that’s right, why is it meaningful? It’s meaningful because Hillary Clinton and her supporters are making the case that Donald Trump in 2016 represents some sort of Hitlerian existential threat that must be defeated at all costs. They are desperately trying to sell to the public the notion that all concerns about her incredibly shady past can and should be set aside for the time being because keeping Trump out of the White House takes precedence over everything else. Of course, such an argument is easily dismissed by anyone who is aware enough to understand that Trump (like Sanders) merely serves as a vehicle for justified anger percolating across the land, and that defeating him as an individual accomplishes absolutely nothing in the long-term.

Indeed, a Donald Trump loss is likely to fan the flames of populist angst further, particularly if Hillary Clinton continues along with status quo business as usual as if nothing ever happened, which she undoubtably will. Ironically, many of these delusional “lesser of two evils” Hillary supporters may be unpleasantly surprised to discover that media mogul Trump could even more formidable (and dangerous) than President Trump. Which is precisely why merely fighting against symptoms of a rigged and unethical system solves absolutely nothing, and ultimately makes the underlying problem worse.

The bottom line. It doesn’t matter what happens in this election, Trump isn’t going anywhere because his supporters aren’t going anywhere.

For related articles, see:

The Elites Have Lost the Right to Rule – Part 2

Camille Paglia – “Enough with the Hillary Cult”

There’s No Place Called “TransNationalProfessionalistan”

A Message to Europe – Prepare for Nationalism

In Liberty,
Michael Krieger

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10 thoughts on “Election 2016 – Why Defeating Trump Won’t Make Trump Go Away”

  1. “The bottom line. It doesn’t matter what happens in this election, Trump isn’t going anywhere because his supporters aren’t going anywhere.”

    The real bottom line. It doesn’t matter what happens in this election, because whether it’s Trump or Clinton who wins, the deep state will still be in complete control.

    I completely agree that if Trump loses he will do everything he can possibly think of to maintain his new found position as a populist leader. If there’s one thing he cannot stand, it’s losing attention traction.

    Reply
  2. I total y agree with you. The only winners are Trump or Clinton, both are losers and liars, and only persons/citizens that will lose are the American voters who get screwed with another crooked incompetent bastard that couldn’t walk and chew bubble gum at the same time.
    p.s.- just looking at Trump’s foto makes me want to barf on a bull frog on a pedal in a pond………..

    Reply
  3. MAKE PEACE NOT WAR.

    Major difference here is that HRC went from “reset” to taking on Russia directly in Syria air space and in coup-damaged Ukraine borders.

    She calls Putin a “Hitler”, Trump says let’s make a deal.

    (One of the never-Trump media when they were sycophants reported a deal made in front of his eyes where he made $20,000 on one small materials purchase for a construction project.)

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  4. I believe that you are confused, HRC opposed anything with Russia and was part of the Obama strategy to place an embargo against Russia for invading Crimea and Western Ukraine. As for Trump, well him and his mail order Russian wife, and the fact that Trump has openly praised Vladimir Putin on more than 5 occasions and stated very loudly tht that it would be nice if we could get along with Russia, I believe that the threat to America would be without a doubt “Donald J. Trump”. Also, being his poll numbers are so bad, I don’t think he’ll get elected to anything but “Sewage Treatment Manager” in North Country Alaska where he can manage the Polar Bear, Rein Deer, Muscot Manure and Seal Manure, he would do real good there because all he talks is manure!!!!!!!

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  5. Once the Media makes its peace with the ultimate creator of “free” comment and the DJT throws around some mega benjamins for their lights on his robes, the reality tv star captain video is a lock. Get your upfronts ready to bid where he plays. His mine of eyeballs beats anything like gold, the stuff that safes are made for. He is life itself, ripping your lungs out and buggering the eyes out of your head.

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  6. Andy, you’re apparently unaware of who was behind the coup in the Ukraine that prompted Russia to take action.

    That was all about the west wanting the Ukraine in the World Bank, and you can’t fault Putin for taking exception to them fucking around with him right on his back doorstep.

    Putin’s a gangster. But so is Hillary and the Mulatto from Chicago.

    Trump is just another ethically challenged businessman who would really rather own a President than be the President. So in a head to head against Bad Vlad I’ll take Trump over Hillary any day of the week.

    Hillary is terrified of Putin.

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  7. Just returned from dropping youngest child off at U of Ill Champaign/Urbana for senior year. She, her roommate and her friends where all Bernie supporters. Now that they’ve felt the burn are now Trump supporters. Even oldest has turned to Trump. I’m thinking that is the feeling around most campuses and with most millennials. Here in Mpls there was a fund raiser for Trump and the anti-Trump crowd got really violent and destructive. Jumping on peoples cars, smashing things and spray painting of the walls of the convention center. Hoping the guy wins just to piss the a-holes off.

    And as far as his poll numbers; everything the MSM says is a big fat lie until proven otherwise.

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  8. Trump’s poll numbers today are above Hillary’s numbers. The fact that she is too feeble to campaign at all (nothing but one short public speech this entire next MONTH!) is dooming her, big time.

    The fact that Trump ran down, during a very busy schedule, to talk to the victims of the floods in Louisiana while Obama played golf and chewed out his twerking child, says a lot, too.

    Reply

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