A friend called me the other night to tell me that The Apprentice was on. It’s one of the few shows I enjoy watching occasionally.
Because of the highly publicized feud between Trump and Rosie O’Donnell recently, I knew the new season was supposed to start soon. I didn’t know it had already started because I rarely turn on the TV.
*thought* – I wonder how I can pay for cable service by the hour instead of by the month?!
I thought I’d weigh in on the feud, because it’s uncharacteristic of Donald Trump to talk so harshly about someone publicly. And with good reason.
When you’re at the top of the ladder, there are always people looking to knock you down. Some of them are trying to get there themselves. Some of them are just jealous. So when you’re at the top of the ladder, it makes good sense to treat people well. You’re going to have people gunning for you no matter what. It’s better not to aggravate the situation. And it’s also a sign of insecurity which is never good in business.
Now, put your politics and thoughts of Monica Lewinsky aside for a moment and read what Bill Clinton had to say about diplomacy in dealing with North Korea’s nuclear issue because this is always the best strategy:
“But I think you have to [be] firm in public and absolutely brutal in private.”
~ Bill Clinton
The feud between Trump and Rosie certainly created a lot of press, which is always good when the new season of your show is starting. But Trump struck back hard. Very hard. Maybe too hard. Here’s why:
The View is a very popular show. It has a large audience. Rosie’s on-air comments about the Miss USA Pageant were designed to help her career as an outspoken tv personality at the expense of Trump’s business.
The same way that negative campaigning works in elections, Rosie’s comments potentially have a bad affect on the bottom line of the Miss USA Pageant. Which sucks if you own it, work for it and depend on your job there to put food on the table, or advertise on it.
It’s well known that negative campaigns are very effective. The only way to defend yourself is to stand up and wage your own negative campaign. That’s why everyone in politics does it.
I don’t believe The Donald was looking for media hype for The Apprentice as much as he was trying to strike back against a negative campaign.