The recent report of President Trump contracting COVID-19 has me thinking. From his rally crowds to "freedom fighters" who believe that wearing a mask encroaches upon their individual rights, Trump's diagnosis presents an incredible opportunity of switching the narrative. Trump's reaction to the virus, both physically and through his communicative tactics, could create an entirely new "wave" of reaction.
Maybe you've already heard the conspiracy rumors? The one where Trump (or his advisors) realize the potential that exists in a televised moment where Trump, a symbol of the far right's strength and fighter mentality, "contracts" the virus, fights it off despite his age and often ridiculed body, and comes out even stronger, like an odd, cocooned orange butterfly. This then takes anyone on the voting fringe, where I do believe more people reside than we realize, and has them ride the wave to hopeful reelection.
Or, pending advisement and some mesh of reality and sophistry, let's say Trump really did catch the virus and has "aha" moment. From there, he comes to realize the severity of the virus as it ravages his body and subsequently comes out with a more moderate and cautious attitude towards the pandemic, once again offering that little bit of "umph" needed to buy in some undecided voters.
I'm not here to argue any of this as true or plausible, but as I think back to Postman and others, and as I compare Trump to previous presidents, the current state of the media's coverage of politics at least allows the possibility of a very scary, Orwellian moment. I would imagine that thanks to TV and social media, Trump backers could hear very different message from him post virus contraction and believe it has always been that way, like the chocolate rations in 1984. I'm probably too far down the rabbit hole here, but I am deeply worried about the saturation level we are approaching and its subsequent influence on the nearing election.
Troy,
ReplyDeleteOverall, this is an unprecedented moment in a wild year. As of this morning, it has been rumored that Trump's state is not doing well, and there is the possibility that he was testing positive for COVID before the debates, etc. should he recover, the things you discuss in your blog are all real possibilities in terms of the narrative and rhetoric that will be weaved around this illness. Should he not recover, it is a huge national security threat to at this point have had such a large portion of our governing body have been exposed or have contracted COVID from the Rose Party, particularly being this close to an election. Much like with the rest of this year, we will simply have to wait and see what happens.
Hi Abbie,
ReplyDeleteHere we are, two days post your comment, and he's back in the White House, mask off. Some of his rhetoric about the virus are just amazing to me, really. Even my wife, who is mostly shy when it comes to talking politics, was baffled by his comments. I'm almost speechless from it.
Troy,
ReplyDeleteI'll say this again "WHAT A TIMELINE!" I think this is all interesting theories. Ultimately, like most things, I think the explanation is rather boring. Trump so delightfully ignored Covid, called it a hoax, and then, when he caught it, he had the doctors sign NDA's and pump him full of an experimental drug HE ENDED RESEARCH FUNDING FOR! It's really just like watching a grown man-child throw a tantrum and refuse to accept that they were wrong. And his following? They LOVE that he released himself from the hospital. And the way he peeled the mask off before entering the White House was just another gesture of a pouty and scared man-child.
Troy,
ReplyDeleteI love a good conspiracy theory. I honestly spent hours looking at the different tweets and threads discussing whether or not Trump had covid. Social media really picked up on it, especially as more and more White House officials tested positive. I think conspiracy theories are so interesting to look at rhetorically because they really do have a huge impact on mass audiences. Their shock value seems to easily convince people of their truth, or at least partial truth. It would be interesting to look into all of the Trump related conspiracies.