“I watched to see the Trump circus, but in between his gaffes I learned something about the other candidates.”
That’s not an exact quote, but it’s pretty close to what a colleague of mine said as we walked back to work after lunch.
Recent Republican debates were the talk of my office — and no, I don’t work in media full time. Let’s just say that I’m surrounded by Millennial co-workers who talk about politics next to never.
After the debates, however, the GOP was the main topic of discussion.
Our water cooler banter was, likely, not an anomaly, as a record 24 million Americans tuned into the primetime debate on Fox News. That is a staggering number, especially when considering that the second most-watched primary debate in history was a 2008 bout between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, which drew the eyes of a now-measly 10.7 million viewers.
During the debate I kept my eye on social media to see how it was being digested by the masses, and I was struck by just how many non-political types were making posts about the Republican scrum.
The troubling part — initially assumed, anyway — is the fact that a substantial portion of those viewers tuned in for one reason, and one reason only: Trump. He’s a trainwreck begging for attention, which the media happily gives him since it drives the ratings skyward.
Many viewers didn’t really care that his words carried little-to-no substance, or that the philosophical backbone of Trump’s various policy stances is paper thin.
People just wanted to be entertained — and Trump delivered the goods.
But while many conservatives are embarrassed by Trump — and rightly so — let’s revisit my friend’s observation: That in between Trump’s gaffes he learned something about the other candidates.
That could actually be a silver lining for Republicans.
For all of Trump’s bombast, ridiculousness and cringe-worthy moments, he might actually be inadvertently helping his GOP peers by drawing an oversized helping of attention to the Republican primary conversation.
Without the lunacy of the Trump Show, would 24 million viewers have tuned into Fox News on a Thursday night? Of course not.
Without Trump, I can almost guarantee you that the names Marco Rubio and Carly Fiorina wouldn’t have been crossing the lips of my Millennial coworkers the next day.
Gerald Seib wrote in the Wall Street Journal that when voters become more serious about the race, The Donald will end up giving an assist to his GOP rivals by making their candidacies look more legitimate and well-thought out. Before the Trump summer fling possibly begins to fade away, the real estate blowhard might do the GOP a favor by drawing attention to the Republican stage.
In addition to talking about Trump post-debate, many non-politicos were also discussing the Rand Paul versus Chris Christie tussle and Jeb Bush’s underwhelming performance, while also trying to figure out how to pronounce the name “Kasich.”
Without Trump, that likely wouldn’t be the case.
Americans will tune in by the millions to the second GOP debate to see those plot lines develop, even if they do play second fiddle at the outset to Donald’s continued ridiculousness.
Numerous people have said that Trump’s polling successes are the result of his ability to tap into voter frustrations with establishment politics.
There is certainly something to be said for that, but he’s also tapped into America’s fascination with reality television. For all his absurdities, Trump’s provided a golden opportunity for his fellow Republicans.
About the Author
