Donald Trump Show – Spin, Frame, False Equivalency

Donald Trump, as he conducts his wrestling show run for the Presidency of the United States, is entertaining to many people. In a perverse way politics and Trump have become a comedy reality show. Watching Trump’s altercation with Univision reporter Jorge Ramos on August 25, 2015, may have given the public a brief glimpse into the narcissistic, pathological  mind of Mr. Trump, not so obviously seen in public up until now.

Jorge Ramos knew he would need to ask his question and hold his ground because Trump had refused to talk to him previously. Trump did not answer the question being asked, instead he showed disdain for the reporter dismissing Ramos in a demeaning fashion. Trump then had his bodyguards physically manhandle and push the reporter out of the room. Outside one of the bodyguards can be heard telling Ramos, an American citizen, to go back to Mexico. Other reporters in the room asked Trump why he wouldn’t answer Ramos’s question and had Mr. Ramos removed. Trump quickly tried to paint Ramos, a respected, veteran reporter, as out-of-order and crazy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2Z7k75SnN4

(This video showing Trump telling is people to throw the reporter out etc has been removed from YouTube.)

Trump appears to be a natural at “Framing” arguments, “Spin,” and “False Equivalency” posturing. First he frames his argument or answer to any question on his own terms. This often includes a “False Equivalency” comparison. In a pathological moment, he then believes what he spins is true.

One of the bogus arguments in defense of Trump’s behavior at this press conference is to compare his actions with the reporter, to being appropriate and not like Bernie Sanders’ reaction to the “Black Lives Matter” protesters that confronted Sanders at a rally. Since Trump has publicly stated that he would never be like Bernie Sanders and give up the stage to protesters it is likely Trump over reacted to Ramos to prove, once again, how strong and tough he is. The only thing Trump needed afterward, was to present Ramos as an unreasonable interloper.

But the situations were totally different. This is a false equivalency frame. Ramos was not a protester; he is a serious, credentialed Univision reporter, asking a question, at a news conference. Trump’s current animosity to Univision, he’s suing them for not running his Beauty Pageant show, also played a part. After Trump had Ramos removed from the room, he was asked why by other reporters. Trump’s response was to immediately spin that Ramos was “screaming,” and out-of-order. The video of the confrontation shows something else.   Ramos did not have a microphone, so he may have been speaking louder than normal to be heard, not screaming. Screaming implies, emotional hysteria, a spin word to make Ramos appear irrational or angry, and the belligerent, annoyed Trump as rational. Trump’s reaction to reporters after Ramos was ejected was pathological lying, not just spinning.

As far as Bernie Sanders and the protestors are concerned, Sanders appears to actually share the concerns of the protesters. He has been active in all sorts of civil rights activities his entire political career. Instead of creating a confrontation with protesters he simply gave them a chance to speak their minds. This was not a sign of weakness; it was a sign of strength, good will, judgement and experience. In his confrontation with Jorge Ramos Trump has, as he did with Megan Kelly, demonstrated once again his own insecurity and pathological nature.

The Republican establishment would like Donald Trump to self-destruct or go away because he bluntly campaigns on all the “dog whistle” rhetoric the Republicans have been using to manipulate voters. The majority of these issues are fear, race, religious or ethnic based concerns. Trump attacks and scapegoats immigrants unfiltered at the same time as he advocates hedge fund brokers paying their fare share of taxes. He has plugged in to all the gripes Americans have both left and right. If the Republicans outright dump him he could run as a third-party candidate. His support would come from all the, mainly white, voters who feel disenfranchised based on all the right-wing propaganda they have been fed by Republicans.  But the right-wing, along with Fox News, has mounted a campaign against Trump. Democrats don’t want to help them too much at this point since they believe they have a strong candidate in Hillary Clinton or someone else, and that Americans wouldn’t really vote for  Donald Trump.

It is possible that the best-case scenario for Trump to actually become President would be to run as a third-party candidate and pull his majority from both parties. Moderate Republicans and Democrats either don’t vote or protest vote for Trump. Libertarians, New Regan Democrats, NRA supporters, Christian Fundamentalist, Anti Abortion, Tea Party and White Supremacist form the base of the third-party. At this point support comes in from Koch Brothers groups hoping to partner somehow with Trump. Trump campaigns on issues that are real or imagined, with grandiose solutions that are pure fantasy, like building a nineteen hundred mile wall along the border with Mexico and getting them to pay for it.

Thinking Donald Trump is only entertainment and that he really doesn’t “have a chance,” if he becomes the candidate, should be reconsidered. Going back over the years in other countries, there have been unlikely leaders who emerge on issues scapegoating minorities or perceived groups like immigrants. We think that here in the United States we have too many checks and balances for anything like a dictator to emerge. Many of these checks and balances have been or are being eroded by the far right. The right of all citizens to vote, separation of church and state, and women’s rights are among the many being curtailed by factions of the Republican Party.

The steps that any administration would need to take to deport eleven million immigrants would necessitate totalitarian policies. It would promote American pogroms against groups that are suspected of being or harboring immigrants. Documented immigrants, recent American Citizens, Latin, Asian, Black and Middle Eastern looking people would be harassed. The disorder that results could lead to martial law.

Donald Trump knows how to entertain and play a part. His act is brash, pushy, egotistical, tell-it-like-he thinks-it-is, and faux entrepreneur. But those qualities are also those of a narcissistic psychopathic bully. These traits were clearly demonstrated during the Jorge Ramos confrontation if you watch Trump’s  posture, face and listen to is voice during the exchange.   Proceed with caution.

James R Martin, Documentary Filmmaker.