The Trump Effect: On Popular Culture

For much of the last decade, Hollywood has been making the same statement: Trump is bad. But they had no idea how to beat him

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The rise of Donald Trump has not been good for American culture.

American culture was far from perfect before June 16, 2015, the day Trump descended the escalator in Trump Tower and announced his presidential campaign. But since then, our popular discourse and pop cultural offerings have grown coarser, meaner, shallower, and nastier. A whole crop of “influencers” on social media and off believe that Trump is the new role model for leadership, or at least for building an audience — loudmouthed, boasting, threatening, raging, never admitting a mistake, never apologizing, playing fast and loose with the facts at best or shamelessly lying at worst. Modesty, decorum, respect for others, even listening to others — apparently, those are all now just for suckers.

Jim Geraghty

About the Author

Jim Geraghty

Jim Geraghty is the senior political correspondent of National Review.

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