J298 The Slow Motion Coup: Covering Politics in the Trump Era

Donald J. Trump is the most consequential president since at least Franklin Roosevelt. Whether you agree with his politics or despise them, he is undeniably a change agent, overturning many of the norms and rules that have guided American chief executives for a quarter of millennium. And he produces a vast amount of news. Trump is, as one senator put it, a “content machine,” striving each day to dominate the news cycle. He usually succeeds. Though they have had nearly a decade to cope with Trump the politician — and decades before that to grow accustomed to Trump the public figure — journalists still often seem bewildered when confronted with the basic problem of how to cover him. Too often, he seems to determine his own coverage and effortlessly dominate the press with his own self-produced extravaganzas. In this seminar, we will study Trump the politician and Trump the media impresario as he makes news week to week. Our goal: how to cover politics more effectively in the era of Donald Trump.