Vigilante
Diamond Member
- Banned
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The Hill | December 9, 2015 | Jonathan Easley & Ben Kamisa
Donald Trump is again dominating the media's coverage of the presidential race, frustrating his Republican rivals who can't gain traction for their own campaigns.
Trump's proposal to bar Muslims from entering the United States provoked wall-to-wall coverage, even though it has little chance of becoming U.S. law and has been repudiated by Democrats and Republicans alike.
"I've never seen anything like it, it was like 9/11 coverage," said one operative from a rival campaign who spoke freely on condition of anonymity. "I talked to two reporters yesterday about potential story ideas, and they said, 'Sorry, I don't have time. My f---ing editor is making me cover Donald Trump.'" The constant media attention has been the main ingredient in Trump's lasting popularity. It has contributed to keeping him well ahead of his rivals in national presidential polls and surveys of states with early primary contests such as New Hampshire and South Carolina.
Even negative coverage can be a boon to Trump, helping to firm up his base of supporters and communicate his wildly popular brand of straight-talking, anti-establishment conservatism that he punctuates with unapologetically outrageous statements.
Trump's proposal to bar Muslims from the U.S. came at a point when his media coverage had faded. Prior to those comments, the number of times he was being mentioned on television compared to other candidates was at its lowest point in months, according to data compiled by The GDelt Project, which monitors news coverage.
And it came on the heels of a poll in Iowa that showed Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) surging past Trump to claim his first lead of the cycle in an early-voting state.
Many Republicans viewed Trump's proposal as a calculated effort to recapture the spotlight and stake out the far-right position on an issue that animates the base.
They believe the media has fallen into his trap.
Trump "knew that by saying that, it would provoke a response," former Republican National Committee spokesman Doug Heye said. "Smartly or cynically, he knows the best way to deal with bad poll numbers is to create another outrage du jour to redirect our focus."
Trump's media dominance is hurting the other candidates who have to spend valuable campaign dollars on ads that have, for the most part, produced only small returns on investment.
Trump has spent only $300,000 on a series of radio ads in early-voting states, a stunningly small amount for a candidate who has spent months atop the polls.
By comparison, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and a supporting super-PAC have spent more than $30 million on ads so far this cycle. Bush's poll numbers are in the single digits......
Donald Trump is again dominating the media's coverage of the presidential race, frustrating his Republican rivals who can't gain traction for their own campaigns.
Trump's proposal to bar Muslims from entering the United States provoked wall-to-wall coverage, even though it has little chance of becoming U.S. law and has been repudiated by Democrats and Republicans alike.
"I've never seen anything like it, it was like 9/11 coverage," said one operative from a rival campaign who spoke freely on condition of anonymity. "I talked to two reporters yesterday about potential story ideas, and they said, 'Sorry, I don't have time. My f---ing editor is making me cover Donald Trump.'" The constant media attention has been the main ingredient in Trump's lasting popularity. It has contributed to keeping him well ahead of his rivals in national presidential polls and surveys of states with early primary contests such as New Hampshire and South Carolina.
Even negative coverage can be a boon to Trump, helping to firm up his base of supporters and communicate his wildly popular brand of straight-talking, anti-establishment conservatism that he punctuates with unapologetically outrageous statements.
Trump's proposal to bar Muslims from the U.S. came at a point when his media coverage had faded. Prior to those comments, the number of times he was being mentioned on television compared to other candidates was at its lowest point in months, according to data compiled by The GDelt Project, which monitors news coverage.
And it came on the heels of a poll in Iowa that showed Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) surging past Trump to claim his first lead of the cycle in an early-voting state.
Many Republicans viewed Trump's proposal as a calculated effort to recapture the spotlight and stake out the far-right position on an issue that animates the base.
They believe the media has fallen into his trap.
Trump "knew that by saying that, it would provoke a response," former Republican National Committee spokesman Doug Heye said. "Smartly or cynically, he knows the best way to deal with bad poll numbers is to create another outrage du jour to redirect our focus."
Trump's media dominance is hurting the other candidates who have to spend valuable campaign dollars on ads that have, for the most part, produced only small returns on investment.
Trump has spent only $300,000 on a series of radio ads in early-voting states, a stunningly small amount for a candidate who has spent months atop the polls.
By comparison, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and a supporting super-PAC have spent more than $30 million on ads so far this cycle. Bush's poll numbers are in the single digits......
