American TV presenter, Jerry Springer, says the constant media coverage of Donald Trump made it easy for him to emerge president-elect of the US.
“The distinction between entertainment and politics, and even entertainment and news, has been blurring for years,” he said in a Daily Beast interview published Wednesday.
“What was different about Donald Trump is that some of the networks decided he was going to be important before the public did, and that accelerated whatever was already going on,” said the proud democrat.
He likened Trump to the kid in junior high that sits at the back of the class yelling inappropriate comments.
As for the ratings-grabbing appeal of Trump’s persona, “it is his rudeness and his braggadocio,” Springer said.
“Picture yourself back in junior high school—he’s the kid in the back of the class who would say outrageous things or the kid in the auditorium who would yell out all these obscene things and stick it to the teacher.
“You knew that wasn’t appropriate and was wrong, but you were giggling and laughing, and you knew you weren’t going to get in trouble for it.
“This is funny. This is a guy who’s cursing, who calls a heavyset woman ‘fat.’ You giggle, and you’re not supposed to, and it’s cruel and it’s horrible, but there were enough people who thought that this man is cool. And I don’t think it’s any deeper than that.”
“This has been a junior high school election,” he concluded bitterly.
Springer also pointed out that Trump’s pre-existing fame gave him a great advantage in his run for the white house.
“In order to run for president you have to be well-known,” he said. “The only two areas where that is possible are sports and entertainment.
“Athletes are too young to run for president. So while it wouldn’t necessarily have been Trump, it would have been someone like him. We should have seen it coming.”
Before making a name in television, Springer sat on the Cincinnati City Council and was selected by the council to serve as mayor from 1977 to 1978.
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