"It has long been clear that the second Trump administration exists primarily as an avenue for déclassé, C-level celebrities to mount a career comeback by using the entire federal governing apparatus as leverage. This is why, say, Dr. Oz is on television warning the country about ill-defined widespread medical fraud, why Kristi Noem spent much of her time at Homeland Security filming Orwellian videos to be broadcast in TSA lines, and why Kash Patel seems dead set on becoming the world's first "celebrity FBI director.""
"But if there is anything unique about this late and increasingly febrile chapter in the president's reign, it is how even the bit players of his administration-those occupying the most cushy and overlooked roles, who were once happy to revel anonymously in the spoils of victory-want in on the action. At least, that is what I found myself thinking about after watching the trailer for Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's forthcoming reality show."
"The show is called The Great American Road Trip. It is scheduled to coincide with the forthcoming 250 th birthday of our great nation, and the five-part series, airing on YouTube, follows Duffy, his wife, Fox News anchor Rachel Campos-Duffy, and their nine kids as they gallivant around America's greatest landmarks. The whole affair has a distinctly TLC-ish glean: There are scenes of Duffy and his brood rocketing across frozen wastelands in snowmobiles, thanking veterans over breakfast in down-home diners, breaking bread with Benjamin Franklin cosplayers on the brick-lined streets of colonial"
A second Trump administration is portrayed as a platform for declassé, C-level celebrities to leverage federal power for career advancement. Examples include Dr. Oz warning about medical fraud, Kristi Noem producing Orwellian Homeland Security content for TSA audiences, and Kash Patel pursuing a celebrity-focused FBI leadership image. The piece also notes that Trump’s own initial presidential run was framed as a bid for greater fame, attracting flunkies seeking similar opportunities. A distinctive element is that even minor administration figures now seek public attention. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s planned YouTube reality show, The Great American Road Trip, is described as a family-centered, TLC-like branding effort tied to the nation’s 250th birthday, featuring travel, veterans, and patriotic themed scenes.
Read at Slate Magazine
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]