GW and Trump in the Ballroom

In addressing these posts as contemporary propaganda, these social media posts are doing some heavy lifting. He's clearly borrowing the authority of GW, a classic "transfer" technique. Washington is not controversial in any way. Showing Trump with the founder who selected the White House site and oversaw its design as approving the project neutralizes all the arguments about preservation. In the logic of these posts,Trump is the new steward of the White House building. And there is a tiny bit of historical precedent re: GW. After all, he did build a grand entertaining addition (albeit at Mount Vernon). I am also intrigued about the phrase: "Military Complex/Ballroom." This clearly sends a message to the Supreme Court by fusing together "national security" with founding-era approval.

From my point of view, the media literacy insight must center on its being knowingly ridiculous and displacing real news. Marketing people have explained that "engagement by absurdity" uses bizarre, nonsensical, or shocking elements to capture public attention. It works, and companies like Duolingo and Old Spice have demonstrated this. These social media posts displace real news: they ran the same weekend as the USS Abraham Lincoln conditions story, with those ugly details about water shortages, plumbing issues, and attempts to jump overboard.