Donald Trump: A Shock and Awe Campaign

In what is sure be hailed as a shock and awe campaign, Donald Trump is at it again.

After his comments on immigration sparked controversy, Donald Trump has not backed down, and instead has run with the media firestorm taking interview after interview showing his opponents how to stay above the fold day after day. While most people would disagree with Donald Trump’s 15 minutes in the spotlight of an already crowded GOP primary, he has become living proof of the old adage “any press is good press.”

Donald Trump has doubled down on his comments and it has paid off for him early in big primary states such as New Hampshire and Iowa, and he has trounced his competition, becoming number two nationally. Originally written off by strategists and the media as another face in the long line up of Republican presidential candidates, Trump is showing everyone he is here to stay and should not be underestimated. In a recent PPP poll, Trump has found himself ahead of the competition and 8 points ahead of fellow Republican presidential contenders in North Carolina.

The objective of primary elections for candidates is to sit on the far end of their party and woo the base to turn out and vote for them. During the general election, the candidate then has the delicate task of moving more center of the party ideology in order to win over independents, undecideds, and swing votes. Donald Trump chose early on to walk the line of extreme party candidate. In his defense, it has paid dividends because he has not had to spend a dime to increase the visibility of himself or his campaign. (Keep in mind, this is not a sound strategy for the faint of heart when it comes to Campaign 101, but it works for Trump.)

While this type of attention has not caused Donald Trump to make any friends with fellow presidential hopefuls on the right, Trump has stirred up quite the conversation. Immigration was already poised to be a hot button issue in 2016, but no one could have predicted the conversation would start this early on. Senator Marco Rubio has called Trump’s comments “offensive and inaccurate” as well as divisive, and while most would agree, the campaign Trump is currently running is one that has become such a spectacle even the media cannot look away.

Donald Trump is no stranger to the spotlight and has zero fear of the media, which will serve him well, until, like most rodeo clowns, he loses his luster and the novelty of him wears off. Until then, America, brace yourself, because Donald Trump is upping the ante by tying up the airwaves and keeping other presidential hopefuls from getting any press coverage.