Interacting with Opposing Media as a Campaign Strategy

     It is no secret that the American mass media is just as divided among party lines as the population itself. In January 2020, the Pew Research Center published a study highlighting just how strong the relationship between partisan voters and their media preferences are. Unsurprisingly, people who identified as left leaning tended to trust left wing media and distrust right wing media, and people who identified as right leaning tended to trust right wing media and distrust left wing media (right wingers were more distrustful in general). 

    For candidates seeking victory in their primary election, this relationship is no problem. However, to win the Presidential Election, you must be able to reach voters from across the party lines. To this end, candidates will occasionally appear on the media preferred by the other party in order to engage that demographic of voter on a platform which they are both more likely to watch and more likely to trust. Granted, conducting diplomacy in enemy territory can be treacherous. Hosts like Whoopi Goldberg of The View, which is a semi-political talk show that right wing candidates often visit as an entry-level form of opposition media, have been known to grill candidates over pressing issues (see link below), which can make for some pretty disastrous soundbites. 

    Despite the risks, the best campaigns use opposition media often, and well. Think Trump in 2020: Trump appeared several times on networks like NBC, CNN, and late-night shows with left-wing hosts such as Jimmy Fallon. Although the string of interviews was ironically conducted as part of a broader anti-media push, Trump was still able to project himself onto a larger group of potential voters, and his campaign was aided by his ability to capture legacy Democrats in the rust belt.

     As far as the 2024 election goes, we are already seeing candidates like Vivek Ramaswamy and Mike Pence make small appearances on opposing media, seeking to collect some rogue Democrats who are disillusioned by the Biden administration. Vivek in particular has seen campaign improvements due to his insistence upon answering every question asked of him by his opponents in both the media and the voter base. The pressing question is this: Will opposing media allow Trump on? And if so, will he be able to defend against the hard questions with his usual bullishness, or is the jig up? Time will tell. 

U.S. Media Polarization and the 2020 Election: A Nation Divided | Pew Research Center

'The View's' Whoopi Goldberg Grills Ben Carson on Abortion - TheWrap