Trump Isn’t Even Good at TV Anymore
This article critiques Donald Trump's current media presence, arguing that his ability to command public attention has significantly declined since his time on The Apprentice. It suggests that his administration's attempts to replicate TV-style messaging have failed to resonate with the public.
Why it matters
It highlights the shifting landscape of political communication and the potential waning influence of traditional celebrity-style political branding.
When he launched his 2016 presidential run, millions of Americans knew him best not from his bankrupt casinos or the gossip pages of the New York Post but as the swaggering host of NBC’s The Apprentice, in which aspiring entrepreneurs competed for a full-time job in his real estate empire.
Trump routinely overstated the primetime dominance of The Apprentice, which was a breakout hit in its debut 2003–2004 season but saw its ratings steadily decline over subsequent years. Nonetheless, his rise as a candidate, propelled by his willingness to say anything to stay in the news cycle, seemed to affirm his on-camera star quality (even if it was actually people behind the scenes of The Apprentice who had edited his unscripted and less-than-coherent bluster to make him sound like a straight-talking businessman).
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