Has the press learnt from the 2016 experience?

There were reasons why Trump made it through in 2016, despite there being every reason why he should not have been taken seriously by the US electorate. These faults with the system could deliver him again.

In 2016 the media played the game of following Trump and broadcasting his every words – all of which were stupid and dangerous. There was a constant flow of lies and misinformation.

In 2016 Trump would have spent little cash on publicity, as the media provided all that he needed. His lies were laughed at but were publicised. The aim was to caste doubt on the other candidate, Hillary Clinton, as well as to suppress the vote of Democratic voters – get them to stay home and not vote. It worked.

In 2024 the media is doing it again. If Trump makes a stupid or misleading statement, the media pays attention and debates the lies he raises. That’s his strategy – to get the press, and therefore the public, to pay attention to him.

Trump is struggling given the high levels of enthusiasm for Kamala Harris and her vice presidential candidate. But he is out there doing it again, lying that is, and the press is naively doing their thing – providing free publicity for his falsehoods.

Kamala Harris will most likely win. But to do so she has to deal with the stupidity of the media and the fact that the state republicans have been working hard to have their people in place in the state run electoral systems. (more on that in a later post).

Another important issue that Australians puzzle about, is that it is estimated that about 140 million US eligible voters do not vote – historically because they had been convinced that neither candidate was worth the effort.

It is these people that Kamala Harris needs to convince to get out and vote.

Meanwhile they are listening to the lies of Trump and the republican misinformation campaigns as broadcast free of charge through the media.

Hopefully enough sensible people will show up on the day.