Read on Twitter
The de-platforming of Trump is an especially important moment in the relationship between the press and the presidency. Here's an article as background: https://oaktrust.library.tamu.edu/handle/1969.1/187515
Presidential rhetoric scholars explain that presidents before Wilson (maybe TR) rarely addressed the public. Most of their communication was ceremonial or directed to other branches of government.
But early 20th century presidents began to use new media technology to "go over the heads of Congress" and speak directly to the people. They tried to get the public to put pressure on Congress to enact their agenda.
This worked! Scholars note that this worked so well that it amounted to a "second constitution" in which the president, rather than Congress, became the center of our political system.
Scholars call this the "rhetorical presidency" model of the presidency. When they named it in 1981 they lamented that Jimmy Carter gave a speech to the public like once a week! (can you imagine).
Presidential candidates and presidents took advantage of emerging media technology to advance their agendas and the person who was best able to use new technology typically won the election.
There was huge cooperation between the press and the president at this time. The president gave the press access in return for news coverage. It wasn't a perfect relationship, but it was mutually beneficial.
But as even more new media technology emerged & diffused through the nation the relationship began to unravel. Cable news, internet, blogs, email, cell phones, social media--each innovation made the press less useful for the president.
We first noticed the "post-rhetorical" presidency with George W. Bush. Bush wasn't trying to go over the heads of Congress to get his agenda passed, he was using propaganda & ubiquitous communication to numb us. Here's an article on that from 2007: https://oaktrust.library.tamu.edu/handle/1969.1/177777
But we didn't know if Bush's communication method was an anomaly or if it was the new norm. By the time Obama ran in 2008 it was clear that it was the new normal. Here's a book chapter on how Obama used post-rhetorical strategies: https://oaktrust.library.tamu.edu/handle/1969.1/177778
All post-rhetorical presidents do two things: they use communication to go over the heads of Congress to speak directly to the public and they use new/social media to go around the news filter.
This fundamentally changed the relationship between the press and the president.
This fundamentally changed the relationship between the press and the president.
The relationship was no longer mutually beneficial and cooperative, not it was asymmetrical and competitive. Equal access to the public meant that the press and the president had equal power to set the nation's agenda.
There has been a cold war between mainstream media and rightwing media for the agenda setting power in the nation since maybe the 90s. There's also been a cold war between the presidency and the mainstream and rightwing media for the agenda setting power. It's a big power!
Trump obviously used the post-rhetorical presidency and obviously has been at war with the media for the agenda setting power. He made it a hot war, even by calling the media the "enemy of the people" and using ad baculum threats against them.
And the relationship became even more asymmetrical. Trump wouldn't just sit for an interview & answer questions, he'd attack a reporter for asking a question he didn't like. He would break the frame of the image event, showing his followers how phony it all was.
The media was weak (whole other thread about for-profit media) and Trump took advantage of that weakness (as he takes advantage of any weakness). He was good for ratings & they miscalculated and gave him tons of free coverage. He used their platform to erode their credibility.
But by then they were powerless to stop him. Typically the media would withhold coverage from a candidate like Trump until he agreed to cooperate (mutually beneficial relationship), but they couldn't do that once he was the nominee, then president. He could just go around them.
He had as much access to his followers as he would ever need because he had their emails, phone numbers, twitter, facebook, etc. He didn't need the media, except maybe the rightwing media, but even they cowered when he threatened them.
But, poof.
Now he doesn't have the power to communicate directly to his supporters.
Now he doesn't have the power to communicate directly to his supporters.
Now he needs the media to disseminate his messages for him. Now he can't go over the heads of Congress. Now he can't go around the news filter. He's got no agenda setting power. And he's a lame duck.
No president has had so little rhetorical power since William Howard Taft.
No president has had so little rhetorical power since William Howard Taft.
Taft! This big guy.
<hahahhahahahahahaahahahahahah>
Trump supporters want to make this a "free speech" or "censorship" issue. IT IS NOT THAT. This is an issue about rhetorical and political power. This is about who can set the nation's agenda and who has access to the public.
We talk about Trump's war on the media, but we don't talk about the layers of context within which that war has occurred. It's a really big deal in the history of media & the presidency that Trump has been silenced.
He communicated irresponsibly & lost his agenda setting power.
He communicated irresponsibly & lost his agenda setting power.
Trump was so irresponsible with his ability to communicate directly with the public that I wonder if he will pollute the post-rhetorical presidency or the presidency itself.
The Executive branch may recede and may become more equal with the Legislative. Big "if," but still.
The Executive branch may recede and may become more equal with the Legislative. Big "if," but still.
That's why Trump is so desperate to get it back. He's maybe doing his own network? He's orchestrating a "highlights reel" of events to attract positive media coverage? hahahahahah--that's hilarious.
My precious. Trump went 'ballistic' after being tossed off Twitter https://politi.co/3bq1f7Y via @politico
Adding @maggieNYT piece here because it provides support for what I've explained in the thread: Stripped of Twitter, Trump Faces a New Challenge: How to Command Attention https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/10/us/politics/trump-twitter.html?smid=tw-share
And if you want to read even more, here are my Propaganda & Presidential Communication syllabi from last semester (I'm furiously updating now). The Presidential Comm one is basically this thread: https://www.jennifermercieca.com/teaching
