Trump Caught on Twitter; Remind You of Anything?

Published in Rue89
(France) on 29 February 2016
by Daniel Schneidermann (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Louisa Devine. Edited by Danielle Tezcan.
The Republican presidential candidate re-tweeted a quote from Mussolini on the social media site Twitter. The news website Gawker, which set him up, was copying what the French media did with Jean-Marie Le Pen.

Oh, the U.S. media have had a field day. Appearing on NBC this weekend, Donald Trump was not asked about his political platform, but instead about... Mussolini.

What was the reason behind the sudden appearance of Il Duce in the primary? Trump, a compulsive tweeter, re-tweeted a quote by Mussolini ("It is better to live one day as a lion than 100 years as a sheep"). This quote had been tweeted by an account, @ilduce2016, created by journalists at the webzine Gawker, with the aim of "bombarding" Trump with Mussolini quotes to catch him out and show that he will re-tweet anything.

A New Day of Obsession

Gawker sits somewhere between investigative journalism and a gossip site, obviously more comfortable snaring Trump than when it finds itself with its fingers trapped under the trash can lid it tried to lift. In short, it is a click-bait site, with all kinds of click-bait, good and bad, which has played Trump and pulled it off; the major U.S. media outlets talked about nothing else for a whole day.

They talked about that, and about Trump, because the other upshot is this: a new day of being obsessed with Trump. Did you know that it was a quote by Mussolini or not? Answer! The citizens want to know!

Does this obsession remind you of anything? Well of course: Le Pen (Jean-Marie). Correct. Le Pen and the obsession the French media had with him, which lasted for several decades.

Le Pen and Promotional Fear

For decades, the French media did to Le Pen what is now being done to Trump, producing ever-increasing numbers of headlines, polls and retrospective montages to demonstrate the danger he represented.

They never suspected that these repeated attacks were securing the hard core of his voter base. Furthermore, they never prevented him from establishing himself on the political spectrum and staying there, under his glass ceiling, a ceiling against which his daughter is now colliding. That is what is known as promotional fear.

Under these circumstances, the surprising thing is not that Le Pen (the father) declared his support for Trump today, but rather that he had not done it before. The more they repeat that Trump is a fascist, that he is too lenient toward the Ku Klux Klan, the more they will strengthen his position. The Americans who are voting for Trump are buying into transgression and pure energy today.

But Who Is the Real Trump?

Incidentally, who is Trump the candidate? The raging madman depicted by the French media, echoing the U.S. media, is that the real Trump? The increasingly likely possibility that he will be chosen as the Republican presidential candidate is beginning to incite the most daring French journalists to go and examine his program, which he is constantly setting out at meetings now that the time for traditional provocations has passed.

And they are realizing that on some points (like family planning, social welfare), Trump is less reactionary than some of his Republican competitors (though it is true that the bar is set very high).

As Mediapart has said, "Trump has known how to ride the wave of despair of Americans, including conservatives, in the face of the neoliberal policies that they have suffered for thirty years." Explaining things in that way definitely will not garner as many clicks as messing around with Mussolini, but it is undoubtedly much fairer.


Trump piégé sur Twitter : ça ne vous rappelle rien ?

Le candidat républicain à la présidentielle américaine a recopié une citation de Mussolini sur le réseau social. Le site Gawker, qui s’est joué de lui, reproduit ce que les médias français ont fait avec Jean-Marie Le Pen.
Par Daniel Schneidermann Arrêt sur images. Publié le 29/02/2016 à 08h57

Ah, ils s’en sont donné à cœur joie, les grands médias US. Invité ce week-end d’une chaîne américaine historique, NBC, Donald Trump n’a pas été interrogé sur son programme, mais sur... Mussolini. C’est Le Monde qui nous l’apprend.

Pourquoi cette irruption du Duce dans la primaire ? Parce que Trump, twitto compulsif, a retweeté une citation de Mussolini (« il est mieux de vivre un jour comme un lion que 100 ans comme un mouton »). Cette citation avait été tweetée par un compte, @ilduce2016, créé par des journalistes du magazine en ligne Gawker, pour « bombarder » Trump de citations de Mussolini, afin de le « piéger » en montrant qu’il retweete n’importe quoi.
Une nouvelle journée d’obsession

Gawker est un site à mi-chemin entre investigation et potins people, manifestement plus à l’aise pour piéger Trump, que lorsqu’il se retrouve les doigts coincés par le couvercle de la poubelle qu’il a tenté de soulever. Bref, c’est un site attrape-buzz, tous buzz mélangés, bons buzz et bad buzz, qui a joué avec Trump, et a réussi son coup : les « grands médias » n’ont parlé que de lui, pendant une journée.

De lui, et de Trump. Car l’autre bilan est celui-ci : une nouvelle journée d’obsession Trump. Saviez-vous que la phrase était de Mussolini, oui ou non ? Répondez ! Les citoyens veulent savoir !

Cette obsession ne vous rappelle rien ? Mais oui : Le Pen (Jean-Marie). Bonne réponse. Et l’obsession « lepenoïde » des médias français, plusieurs décennies durant.
Le Pen et l’effroi promotionnel

Des décennies durant, les médias français ont fait du Trump avec Le Pen, multipliant les manchettes, les enquêtes et les montages rétrospectifs pour démontrer la dangerosité du personnage.

Sans jamais soupçonner que ces agressions à répétition consolidaient le noyau dur de son électorat. Et sans nullement empêcher Le Pen de s’installer dans le paysage, et d’y rester sous son plafond de verre, plafond auquel se heurte aujourd’hui, d’ailleurs, sa fille après lui. Cela s’appelle l’effroi promotionnel.

Dans ces conditions, l’étonnant n’est pas que Le Pen (père) déclare aujourd’hui sa flamme à Trump. L’étonnant, c’est qu’il ne l’ait pas fait avant. Plus ils répèteront que Trump est un facho, qu’il est complaisant avec le Ku Klux Klan, plus ils le consolideront. Les Américains qui votent Trump achètent aujourd’hui de la transgression, et de l’énergie pure.
Mais qui est le vrai Trump ?

Mais à propos, qui est le candidat Trump ? Le fou furieux que dépeignent les médias français, reprenant les médias US, est-il le vrai Trump ? La perspective de plus en plus certaine de sa désignation comme candidat républicain commence à inciter les plus hardis des journalistes français à aller scruter les détails de son programme, qu’il expose à longueur de meetings, passé le moment des provocations rituelles.

Et à réaliser que sur certains points (Planning familial, protection sociale), Trump est moins réac que certains de ses concurrents républicains (il est vrai que la barre est placée très haut).

Comme dit Mediapart, Trump a su surfer sur « le ras-le-bol des Américains, y compris conservateurs, contre les politiques néolibérales qu’ils subissent depuis trente ans ». Expliquer les choses ainsi est certes moins attrape-clics que faire joujou avec Mussolini. Mais sans doute simplement plus juste.
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