Former President Donald Trump has an endorsement roster full of TV personalities, a strategy that may not work out too well for the GOP’s strategy in the midterms.
Trump’s love of celebrity is most evident in his endorsements of famous faces, but none of the star power names he selected for the GOP primaries seem to have that same staying power in polls against Democrat candidates, complicating the GOP’s chances of winning back majorities or hindering chances of electoral victory.
Critics put the blame on Trump’s obsession with celebrity status as a qualifying criterion for a successful political future.
Pundits have also pointed to Trump being attached to TV stardom and tabloid fame as it catapulted him to the highest office in the country, but don’t realize that it could be challenging for others to replicate his success.
Olivia Troye, who served in the office of Vice President Mike Pence, noted it was important to view Trump through the lens of “The Apprentice,” noting that politics was “almost one big game show to him — except that it’s about the governing of our country.”
Throughout his time in office, Trump often leaned on figures known for their work on TV, often with disastrous results.
The former President also recently mused that, similar to an election poll, TV ratings are “like a poll — that means people like you.”
One notable fracture in this thinking is Dr. Mehmet Oz. Oz is trailing his Democratic opponent Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, by almost 9 points in the RealClearPolitics poll, even though Fetterman hasn’t hit the campaign since May when he suffered a stroke.
