NEWARK, N.J. — Nobody understands the power of the media on public perception quite like Donald Trump. The former reality TV star and tabloid king, who has relied on free news coverage and social media to power his presidential campaign, is uniquely obsessed with how the news media portray his events.
Trump routinely orders news camera operators to pan the crowds at his rallies to show how large the gatherings are — and then chastises them, with disgust, when they fail to obey. He has fumed over TV reporters doing live shots from empty auditoriums once his supporters have left. And on Twitter, Trump is one of the most prolific media critics, offering his live commentary of cable news reporters and analysts, lashing out at news outlets he feels have treated him unfairly.
The approach is yet another aspect of Trump’s unorthodox campaign. As other candidates and their affiliated super PACs have spent millions of dollars on expensive television ads, Trump’s campaign has reported spending just $300,000 on a sprinkling of radio ads. Instead, Trump has logged a whopping 22 hours and 46 minutes of free airtime from May 1 to Dec. 15 on Fox News alone, according to a tally by Media Matters for America, a liberal nonprofit group. That’s more than twice as much as any other candidate and more than Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio combined.
While other candidates spend their time at small-scale retail events interacting one-on-one with voters, Trump’s campaign centerpiece is the large-scale rally, where he is greeted like a rock star by thousands of adoring — and increasingly boisterous — fans.
“Nobody gets audiences like I get,” Trump said at a rally in Michigan on Monday. “We broke the record. And I don’t have a guitar, no guitar. Elton John said, ‘You get the biggest crowds in the world for a guy without a guitar.’ “
Despite Trump’s off-the-cuff, tangent-filled speeches, the events are meticulously staged. Reporters receive laminated press credentials that include the date and city. At one rally earlier this month, held in a private airplane hangar, Trump staged a dramatic entrance, pulling up to the open venue in his custom 757 as the theme music from the movie “Air Force One” blared on loudspeakers. Entertainment has included live bands and DJs. Kids are sometimes offered free helicopter rides.
The spectacle has created a legion of Trump fans who attend one event after another to hear the candidate speak.
“This is better than a concert in the ’70s,” said Trump supporter Bill Kullander, ahead of a recent rally in Des Moines, Iowa — the fourth that the 62-year-old had attended so far this year.
Trump’s events have also become popular venues for protesters, who have grown increasing adept at causing maximum disruption. Their strategies have vexed Trump, who frequently complains about the attention they receive in news reports.
