Donald Trump, Meme King

2008 gave us an election with media presence like no other, with Barack Obama winning largely due to grass root support generated through the use of the new media. Videos, and various visual memes propelled someone who, at one point, had an outside shot at the White House, into the presidency. Now, with general elections at the cusp of the horizon, we see a far more interesting manipulation of media by a different breed of outsider.

Donald Trump, real estate mogul, writer, and billionaire, has self financed his presidential campaign; waging a populist war against what he portrays as a corrupt, stagnant political system. Despite his political savvy, he holds a massive lead in many of the remaining public polls, up by nearly 30 points in New York, and 10 points in California. He has accomplished this with low costs, rarely airing attack ads, instead taking advantage of a media that has shaped itself around covering his campaign. Trumps grandiose statements, often absurd, gain NBC, CBS, Fox, and MSNBC huge viewer boosts during segments replaying them, and substantial boosts when their panels discuss his policies or antics. Playing off his status as a political loose cannon, the internet has sunk its teeth into his outlandish soundbites and ridiculous personality, creating humorous memes centered around his campaign.

On sites like 4chan and /r/The_Donald publish original content depicting various aspects of the campaign, from images of Ted Cruz as a Rat, Hillary as a corporate shill, and the repetition of various phrases that bear little meaning outside of the community (nimble navigator, centipede, HIGH ENERGY, Lyin Ted, etc..). On these forums, users have used humor to attract new members, and galvanize their status as a group. These online communities mirror Trumps large scale attraction throughout the United States, linking his surprising status as the front runner in the GOP with the prevalence of both his image and his quotes. The more absurd his stances, the more air time his gains, and the American viewing public eats it up, and Americas love of the image is showing more than ever in the ballot box.