In a whirlwind start to his presidency, Donald Trump has signed 64 executive orders and 27 memos and proclamations within just a month since taking office, signaling an aggressive approach to reshaping American politics and culture. His administration has embarked on several controversial initiatives, including a surprising takeover of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington. This move marks a hostile foray into arts and culture, underscoring the president's determination to control narratives and influence cultural institutions. Meanwhile, Trump's administration has adopted novel strategies to redefine terms and cast opponents in a negative light, labelling dismissed federal employees as "deep-state activists."
The president's bold moves extend beyond cultural institutions. On February 9th, Trump declared "Gulf of America Day" as Air Force One flew over the Gulf of Mexico, a body of water now rechristened in the administration's narrative. This rebranding effort has led to the White House banning the Associated Press for failing to update its stylebook entry from Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America. Trump’s presidency has become synonymous with dominating the nation's attention, filling news cycles and social media platforms around the clock. Propaganda plays a central role in his strongman presidency, as illustrated by his unprecedented appearance at the Super Bowl, which attracted a record 127 million viewers.
The media landscape under Trump's leadership faces a system of rewards and punishments, with Pentagon officials deciding to "rotate" eight major news outlets from their workspaces. Trump's calls for "patriotic education" aim to influence school curriculums, promoting a conservative vision that aligns with his administration's values. Additionally, the National Endowment for the Arts has canceled grants aimed at marginalized groups, updating guidelines to exclude the promotion of "diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)."
"President Trump's bold leadership and steadfast dedication to America's greatness have cemented his place in history." – Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna of Florida
In an unconventional move, Trump introduced a bill to rename Greenland as "Red, White, and Blueland," pursuing the acquisition of the island territory along with Representative Buddy Carter of Georgia. In another symbolic act, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed an order restoring the name of a special operations forces base in North Carolina back to Fort Bragg.
Trump's administration has also pursued lawsuits against media outlets, utilizing innovative legal theories designed to circumvent established First Amendment protections. This action aligns with a broader strategy of controlling media narratives.
"We're about 'Make America Great Again', right? That's what we care about." – Donald Trump
"Air Force One is currently in international waters," – Flight crew of the US presidential jet
"for the first time in history flying over the recently renamed Gulf of America." – Flight crew of the US presidential jet
"FULL SPECTRUM DOMINANCE." – Steven Cheung, White House communications director
Trump's presidency has been characterized by an omnipresent media strategy. Reed Galen, president of the Union, remarked on Trump's adept use of spectacle and propaganda to maintain focus where he desires.
"With dictators throughout history, it's all spectacle. The idea of propaganda is not necessarily to lie about things but to keep the attention focused where you want it, and he's a master of that." – Reed Galen, president of the Union
Olivia Troye, a former adviser to then Vice President Mike Pence, highlighted Trump's unexpected intervention at the Kennedy Center as indicative of his desire to control all narratives.
"There's a lot of things I expected from Trump, having worked with his circle of people, but I have to say that it was striking to me when he decided to insert himself and take over the Kennedy Center because that to me was a sign that it is him wanting to fully control all narratives." – Olivia Troye, former adviser to then vice-president Mike Pence
Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a professor at New York University, emphasized that Trump's omnipresence is reminiscent of historical dictatorships where leaders' images are inescapable.
"The cult of personality is that you must be omnipotent but you're also omnipresent, you're everywhere. It's not just old-school dictatorships like North Korea today or communist China where the face of the leader is everywhere." – Ruth Ben-Ghiat, history and Italian studies professor at New York University
"Being everywhere and inescapable is part of making the population depend on you and on no one else." – Ruth Ben-Ghiat, history and Italian studies professor at New York University
The mainstream American media faces criticism for its response to Trump's presidency. Tara Setmayer, a former Republican communications director on Capitol Hill, argued that the media's failure to address what she perceives as a constitutional crisis has enabled Trump's strategies.
"The mainstream American media has failed. What is happening is not a normal transition; it's a constitutional crisis. That's the way the American media should be covering this and they're not." – Tara Setmayer, former Republican communications director on Capitol Hill
Setmayer further suggested that Trump's actions against media conglomerates reflect a calculated effort to ensure compliance with his administration's narrative.
"They're parsing their words. They're whitewashing and sanewashing what Elon Musk has been allowed to do and what Donald Trump is telegraphing he plans to do more of. They've made a business decision to obey in advance. It's not an accident that Trump went after the FCC licenses and sued these media conglomerates for them to bend their knees to him so they won't cover him honestly." – Tara Setmayer, former Republican communications director on Capitol Hill
Trump's stance against "woke" culture is evident in his public statements.
"We're going to make sure that it's good and it's not going to be woke. There's no more woke in this country." – Donald Trump