When President Donald Trump’s real estate empire began to falter, he found an ingenious solution. Instead of trying to be a successful businessman, he could simply play one on TV.
“The Apprentice” gave Trump all the trappings of the success he had always wanted — the boardroom, the tailored suits, the people vying for his attention — without the messy business of bankruptcies, lawsuits and failed deals.
Now, with his presidency faltering, he’s trying the same gambit again.
In recent days, Trump has tried to retake control of the narrative. He kicked reporters out of the White House, then only let them back in only because of a judge’s order. He launched his own Trump TV. And he ran taxpayer-funded television ads featuring himself in slow-motion black and white, looking decisive and confident.
Unable to be a successful president, Trump is instead giving himself the trappings of one: building arches for triumphs he has not achieved, renaming buildings after himself and putting his face on coins.
But unlike TV, reality can’t be edited out in post-production. Gas is nearing $4.50 a gallon. Trump’s war with Iran has dragged on for months with no clear end. His approval rating is 27 points underwater. And with early ballots being returned in North Carolina and Michigan, key Senate races are already being decided.
Trump, meanwhile, is searching for a new Omarosa Manigault. On “The Apprentice,” he learned that a memorable villain could be more valuable than a competent contestant. Viewers tuned in to watch conflict, humiliation and revenge, and Trump cast himself as the stern but fair man at the head of the table. As he once put it, people “couldn’t stand” Manigault, but she was “making a fortune.”
He doesn’t need to win a fight; he just needs to stage one.
That’s the dynamic Trump hopes to recreate. He doesn’t need to win a fight; he just needs to stage one. If he can single out a villain of the week, he has achieved his goal. A plan can fall apart, allies can quietly let it die or a judge can reverse his decision. But for a moment, he gets to play the bold and decisive leader.
Take his most recent attempt to ban MS NOW, CNN and Politico from covering the White House. Trump had reason to know the ban would not survive a legal challenge. His administration had lost a similar fight when it revoked CNN reporter Jim Acosta’s White House credentials. But Trump wasn’t trying to persuade the D.C. Circuit Court. He was trying to rile up the audience. Meanwhile, the burden fell on the media companies and their lawyers, who had to go to court simply to do their jobs while Trump moved on to the next fight.
That is what makes this more than harmless political theater. Every fight forces reporters and news organizations to spend time, money and attention defending the basic right to cover the presidency. It tells other institutions that crossing Trump may mean becoming his next target.
But while that might have worked in the past, it isn’t working now. Petty fights ring hollow when you’re struggling to pay bills made higher by the man waging them. Americans aren’t watching Trump’s reality show; they are living in it. And a growing number are wishing they could fire the man at the head of the table.
Evan Brechtel contributed to this report.
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