"Perhaps Trump’s most important quality is his highly effective media strategy. He understands how the media works inside and out," Gunn Enli tells Science Norway.
She is a professor of media studies at the University of Oslo.
The American president has attracted massive media attention for his statements ever since he first ran as a presidential candidate.
In 2018, Donald Trump's former political strategist Steve Bannon told Bloomberg:
"The real opposition is the media. And the way to deal with them is to flood the zone with shit."
Annonse
But what does this strategy actually involve?
Professor and vice dean Gunn Enli researches the role of media in society and political communication.(Photo: Olaf Christensen / University of Oslo)
Hard to resist
"The idea is to overwhelm the public sphere with so many statements that the distinction between what matters and what doesn’t disappears. This weakens the media's ability to set the agenda and be critical," says Enli.
She says that this involves making many statements with high news value that overwhelm the media.
But Trump is not the only one who benefits from this.
"It's a mutual dependent relationship, a kind of symbiosis. Trump provides headlines and shock value, and in return he receives attention," explains Enli.
Media outlets rely on readers, viewers, and listeners to survive financially. That forces them to remain relevant.
"The media profit from his click-friendly remarks, and he benefits from always being in the spotlight," says the media scholar.
Enli points out that this also affects Norwegian media coverage of the United States.
"Norwegian media have long reported on the US because much of what happens there affects us. But now the coverage is noticeably centred on Trump as a person, and through this reporting he effectively becomes the whole of the United States," she explains.
Distraction
"The logic of the strategy is that the opposition can respond to one scandal, but not several at once. That’s how Trump manages to get away with things he normally wouldn’t," says Hilmar Mjelde, a professor of political science at the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences.
This chaos strategy therefore works in two ways.
Both by drawing attention to Trump as a person, and by diverting attention away from things he would rather keep out of the spotlight.
"It can drown out matters he doesn't want highlighted, because those aren't always the most sensational. When he talks about taking over Greenland, for example, it can push important domestic issues into the background," explains Enli.
Mjelde also points out that this approach mainly applies to American domestic politics.
"But because the American president plays such a central role globally, much of what he does has international repercussions, especially now that he's most focused on foreign policy," he says.
Control of the narrative
Still, the political scientist argues that the strategy should not be overestimated.
"There’s some truth to this idea, but it risks crediting Trump with more cleverness than is justified. Many of Trump’s outbursts are just as much about his deep, lifelong need to remain at the centre of attention at all times," he says.
"As the saying goes, he wants to be the bride at every wedding and the corpse at every funeral," he adds.
So is Trump's use of the media a carefully planned political tactic, or simply a way to stay in the spotlight?
"Trump puts a lot of effort into building his legacy. He knows that the more he does, the more traces he leaves behind, the better he will be remembered in the future," says Mjelde.
Enli believes these two theories can be true at the same time.
"The outcome is the same whether it's just him seeking attention or a carefully thought-out political strategy. Either way, he gains control over the narrative, which he can use during election campaigns and in political negotiations," she explains.
Hilmar Mjelde researches democracy and American politics.(Photo: Western Norway University of Applied Sciences)
"A classic bullshitter"
Lately, the American president has faced a wave of negative coverage tied to the Greenland dispute and the situation in Minneapolis.
So what should we make of all this? Is the attention itself part of a media strategy?
"We need to separate these things," says Mjelde. "Just because Trump often makes statements designed to distract doesn’t mean everything he says fits into a 'flood the zone' framework, or that every bout of chaos is part of some grand plan to control public debate."
He adds that Trump’s comments are frequently aimed at shaping public opinion in his own favour.
Antidote
Gunn Enli stresses that whatever Trump’s intentions may be, the effect is the same.
"He ends up dominating media coverage across the Nordic countries and the West, with news outlets becoming deeply fixated on everything he says," she says.
Enli encourages news organisations to think more carefully about how they choose to cover Trump and the United States, just as they do with other topics.
She also suggests an alternative focus.
"Perhaps it’s time to get acquainted with some of the other politicians too. There are many other people and regions that could benefit from more attention at Trump's expense," says Enli.
