In this terrific New York Times piece on Donald Trump in the White House, one line stood out to me as absolutely critical to understanding how the 45th President of the United States approaches the job.
It’s this one: “Before taking office, Mr. Trump told top aides to think of each presidential day as an episode in a television show in which he vanquishes rivals.”
There’s so much to unpack there.
Start with the fact that TV is the frame through which Trump sees not only his presidency but his broader life. If something or someone is on TV, it matters. If not, then not. The equation for Trump is that simple.
You see that focus-bordering-on-obsession manifested in all sorts of ways during Trump’s first near-year in office.
* His habit of praising some member of Congress in a crowd for how he or she did on television. Example: I saw Congressman Gaetz on TV the other day. He did a great job. Really great.
* He is uniquely focused on how cable covers his events and pronouncements. This, from CNN’s Dylan Byers, is hugely illuminating on that front: “In the wake of almost every event he holds, whether it be a rally, a bilateral press conference or a White House ceremony, Trump is presented with a packet of screen-shots showing how the television networks covered the event.”
* He makes constant reference – in virtually every speech – to the number of cameras covering the event. One example: “Look at all those red lights,” Trump said when he was in Alabama earlier this year to campaign for appointed Sen. Luther Strange. “Ay yai yai. It’s always fun to see a red light.”
Now, take a step back. It’s not just that Trump judges success or failure via TV. It’s deeper than that. It’s that he views his entire presidency as one big reality TV show in which the goals are only: a) to be perceived as “winning” in the eyes of the audience and b) to keep people watching.
Go back and read that sentence from the Times’ piece. “Before taking office, Mr. Trump told top aides to think of each presidential day as an episode in a television show in which he vanquishes rivals.” (Italics are mine.)
The key for Trump is to win the day in the eyes of the people watching on TV. But, it’s more than that. It’s also to vanquish his political enemies. To be seen as the victor, the tough guy, the winner. It’s like he sees the presidency as a daily singing competition where he always wants to win the people’s vote.
What’s important about Trump’s view of the presidency is that winning a cable news cycle – or a daily singing competition – is, at best, a tactic. It’s nothing close to a strategy.
Which jibes with the difficulty that arises any time someone tries to put a narrative arc on this presidency. There really isn’t one. The secret plan is that there is no secret plan. Trump acts and reacts in real time with a very short-term goal: Win the moment.
Being talked about is enough. As long as he is a subject of the national conversation, Trump is relevant. (Witness Trump’s insistence that Barack Obama wasn’t born in the U.S.)
And, in Trump’s world, being relevant is the only thing that matters. Death for him is not mattering.