Remember a little more than a year ago when everyone thought Trump was a joke. There was even a rumor going around that he was a Hillary Clinton plant and that he and Hillary were working together to ensure her victory by making a mockery of the right. Looking back, this may not be far from the truth if not from intent.
The bottom line is that Donald Trump is sparking a lot by being a focus of irritation. This past week Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Climate agreement citing the notion that the U.S. doesn't get anything out of the deal and that China and India will not have to do much. Forget the notion that we all need breathable air and that the climate is changing rapidly. The fallout has been amazing and boon for the left.
Trump means big business, both for his family and the left. After pulling the U.S, out of the deal, businesses stepped up to talk about how they oppose it and how many of them will continue doing the things the agreement required without actually being a part of the agreement. Elon Musk has been criticized for being a Trump adviser but now says that he will no longer work with Trump because of this.
California governor, Jerry Brown, was quick to step up and say that California will go along with the agreement and plans to go to China to talk with them directly about things the U.S. can do. As of this writing, 61 mayors and counting are "adopting" the Paris Agreement. Michael Bloomberg offered $15 million to the U.N. to support the movement.
For many it is simply good branding to hate Trump now. Opposition and resistance organizations have seen spikes in sign ups. People are subscribing more to news and podcasts. I am willing to wager there has been a spike in t-shirt and bumper sticker sales.
It is interesting to look at the impact Trump has had on the economy. When he first took office, we saw that he would threaten a business via twitter or at one of his rallies. Soon, as his popularity flagged so too did his ability to make good on his threats. Now we are beginning to see the other side of that equation where those threats are almost an endorsement.
Trump hating is driving tv ratings. Trump is the start of many monologues, comedy routines, and skits.
Prior to last week, I personally, only knew of Kathy Griffin as the annoying woman standing next to a drunk Anderson Cooper on New Years Eve. Then she posed in a picture holding a mock up of Donald Trump's severed bloody head and people got upset. Let's just say she misread the market. The boon comes after the issue though. The initial waves are seen in the memes that surface. She apparently lost that job at CNN. Then comes the discussion. There are articles and commentaries where people applaud or denounce her and then the rare combination of people both applauding THEN denouncing her. She got everyone talking though and ratings went up for everyone. My guess is that in a year or so she will have her own talk show.
So, when all is said and done, Trump is keeping his promise to boost the economy. There is no way to really know how much hating him will pay off, but it looks like business is good.
For the Trump haters in the world it presents an awkward problem. With all the liberal good in the world, will the spin win? Tell me you cannot imagine a day in the future where Donald Trump is standing at a podium speaking from prepared statements about how many great things were done under his administration; how people stepped up and did amazing things while leaving out that they did those things in spite of not because of his administration. Trump has successfully privatized and monetized liberalism. He has decimated if not destroyed our faith in the government, led by the president, to solve social ills.