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Donald Trump’s relationship with television is described in the sources as a lifelong symbiosis where he eventually "became TV" himself. His obsession manifests in several ways, from his reliance on television to build his public image to his habitual consumption of it as a primary source of information and validation.
The Construction of the "Rich Guy" Persona
Long before his political career, Trump spent decades amassing symbols of wealth—such as his branded Boeing 727, the gold-laden interiors of his apartment, and Trump Tower—specifically to serve as a "reality-TV set".
- The Apprentice Influence: The show was a "masterpiece of applied postmodernism," creating a version of Trump that more closely matched a fantasy of success than actual business did.
- Superhero Editing: Producers on The Apprentice admitted their job was to "protect" their host and make him seem like a "superhero," even though his real-world reputation was that of a "notorious deadbeat".
- Branding as Leadership: This television-born image taught America that seizing attention was an act of leadership.
The Obsession with the "Red Light"
Trump is portrayed as having a "psychic bond" with the television camera's red light, which he searched for even during his 2016 election night victory speech.
- Self-Surveillance: He was obsessed with his own performance, often watching his TV appearances with the sound off just to see how he looked.
- Stimulus and Response: The immediate gratification of TV ratings and social media "likes" became his primary metrics for success, mirroring the "on-state and off-state" mentality of a television broadcast.
- Mind-Meld with News: He and cable news existed in a "mind-meld," as he knew exactly what the medium wanted: celebrity, outrage, and novelty.
Television Habits in the White House
As president, Trump’s obsession with the medium only intensified, with television sets raised in the White House "like the flags of a conquering army".
- The "World’s Best TiVo": He boasted to advisors about his high-end DVR and installed a massive flat-screen TV in the dining room to monitor coverage.
- Cable News Inhalation: He "inhaled" news shows for hours, which both motivated and enraged him. He reportedly had three televisions in his bedroom, where he would watch into the night while eating cheeseburgers.
- Blurred Reality: Trump often made no distinction between seeing something on a screen and witnessing it in person. For instance, he once became alarmed by old footage of North Korean missiles on Fox News, mistakenly believing it was a live event.
Reality TV Logic in Politics
Trump applied the "elimination-based" logic of reality TV to the 2016 campaign, treating debates as episodes where the greatest sin was being "forgettable".
- The Antihero Pitch: He leveraged the popularity of TV "antiheroes" (like those in The Sopranos or Survivor), convincing voters that in a "crooked world," they needed a "scoundrel" who would be "their scoundrel".
- Wrestling and Rallies: His rallies were "solar spectacles" modeled after pro wrestling, using call-and-response, insults, and a "hero vs. villain" narrative to generate "emotion without reserve".
- Kayfabe: Much like the WWE, he relied on "kayfabe"—the blurring of the line between real and fake—caring only that the audience was entertained and "bought the pay-per-view".
Ultimately, the sources suggest that while Trump thought he was using TV as a tool, he was actually its "vessel," a man whose worldview was entirely shaped by the "micro bursts of image and impulse" inherent to the medium.
