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Trump's Ratings Are 'Huge', But Why Does That Matter?

Published November 5, 2015 at 1:40 PM EST
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to guests at a campaign rally at Burlington Memorial Auditorium on October 21, 2015 in Burlington, Iowa. Trump leads most polls in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to guests at a campaign rally at Burlington Memorial Auditorium on October 21, 2015 in Burlington, Iowa. Trump leads most polls in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Donald Trump has blurred the line between entertainment and politics for much of this year’s presidential primary season. He holds up his TV ratings the same way he touts his Republican poll standings, which are either first or second nationally, depending on the poll.

NBC is using Trump’s magnetic draw to its advantage on Saturday; giving him hosting reigns for Saturday Night Live. No other serious contender in a primary has ever hosted before, so this raises ethical questions.

NPR’s media correspondent David Folkenflik talks with Here & Now hosts Jeremy Hobson and Robin Young about the convergence of politics and good TV that brought us to this moment.

  • See more media analysis from David Folkenflik

    •

    Guest

  • David Folkenflik, media correspondent for NPR. He tweets @davidfolkenflik.

    • Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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    Federal funding is gone.

    Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

    That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

    The future of public media is in your hands.

    All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.

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