Mark’s words on LinkedIn – Donald Trump’s arrest in NY
The ex-POTUS understood how to manipulate chaos to build his cult. Donald Trump’s strategy during his term in the White House was to sew tribal division, piggyback on conspiracy theories and paint himself and his supporters as victims of injustice to such an extent that his base became radicalised.
As he was turfed out of office, he escalated these tactics – now a living martyr, peddling a whole new tranche of original conspiracies and actively inciting insurrection. The base radicals have spent the two years since January 6th mutating into unhinged cultists. The issue is that Trump’s support base is so large that a Democrat victory in 2024 probably relies on deradicalising a cross-section of the afflicted.
Against this backdrop, his arrest in New York for financial irregularities could be a spectacular gift #PR for Trump and a stunning own goal if we are to infer Democrat influence.
For Trump’s supporters, it only confirms their suspicions that their dear leader is being crucified and that their enemies – the Democrats- are an all-powerful establishment cabal of brainwashed functionaries. Trump’s supporters think the Democrats are the radicals, and attempting to imprison an ex-President for an opaque white-collar crime fits this perception.
As a result, not only is Trump’s base entrenched in its zeal, but his support is reportedly going up. Criminal though Donald Trump may turn out to be, the nature and circumstances of his arrest may not on this occasion be enough to take down the giant beast, at least not without further damage to the USA’s integrity.
Who can forget Trump’s infamous maxim – ‘Sometimes you need a little crazy!’ A disruptive thought every PR should consider from time to time.