PHOTO: Billy Bush and Donald Trump with actress Arianne Zucker in 2005
As the furor continues over Republican nominee Donald Trump’s actions and comments towards women, I spoke with BBC Radio 5 Live early Tuesday about the US Presidential campaign and the decline of American media coverage.
The interview came just after NBC News announced the departure of Billy Bush, the reporter who encouraged Trump in his disparaging remarks — caught on audio and video in 2005 — which have troubled his pursuit of the White House.
The interview talks about the background of mainstream US media, the special position of Billy Bush — a relative of one of the two Presidential dynasties dominating US politics for a generation — and Trump’s ability, until recently, to get media to chase his storylines.
I think politics will never be the same. What Trump was able to do is use social media to make everyone follow his tune. No matter how outrageous the comment, no matter how much you think it might hurt him, he could get the headlines, hold attention, and then move on to a different topic within 24 to 48 hours.
And most of the American media just followed along.
