Trump Has Always Been An Uncanny Reincarnation Of P.T. Barnum, One Of His Heroes

Connecticut politician, notorious huckster and traveling circus owner PT Barnum is often remembered for two statements, which he may or may not have actually made: “No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public” and “There’s a sucker born every minute.” They’re both illustrative of why many people think there is no figure in American history so like Trump as Barnum, who plagued America for most of the 19th Century, a hustler who Trump has modeled himself on. Barnum freely admitted that everything he did was meant to “put money in my own coffers” and, more than anything else he considered himself “a showman by profession.” His name is synonymous with hoaxes and self-serving “philanthropy” and like Trump, he made some spectacularly bad investments and went bankrupt. Obviously, he was also a Republican.

On January 12, 2016 Trump was Chuck Todd’s guest on Meet The Press. “Some people,’ said Todd, “are calling you the music man of this race, or Kim Kardashian, Biff from the film Back to the Future, George Costanza… or P.T. Barnum. Do you consider any of those [comparisons] a compliment?” Trump immediately responded “P.T. Barnum. We need a little bit of P.T. Barnum because we have to build up the image of our country.”

Phineas Taylor “P.T.” Barnum and Señor Trumpanzee are compared to each other because of countless shared characteristics and strategic approaches to life, particularly in regard to self-promotion, showmanship and how each was able to use bluster and gaslighting to captivate and influence public opinion. Barnum, known as the "Prince of Humbug," was a master showman who promoted his circus and other enterprises through extravagant and exaggerated claims, regularly using sensationalism to draw large crowds and create a sense of excitement and curiosity. Similarly, Trump has a flair for the dramatic and consistently uses media and spectacle to his advantage, from his time as a real estate mogul and reality TV personality to his political endeavors. His rallies, branding and media strategies emphasize spectacle and controversy.

Like Trump, Barnum’s thing was self-promotion, always putting himself at the center of any situation or enterprise. The two of them were expert in creating larger-than-life personas that were inseparable from their business ventures. Barnum— again, just like Señor T— was infamous for employing controversial and deceptive tactics to dominate media coverage and steer public discourse, resulting in lots of attention but also dangerous polarization.

Barnum had a knack for appealing to the "common man," creating entertainment that resonated with wide audiences across different social strata. He understood the power of popular appeal in driving his success. The same talent is what has elevated Trump, first in business and then in politics, focusing on hollow populist themes, appealing to a base of supporters who feel disenfranchised by the establishment. Though very much part of the “elite,” both of them used rhetoric that targeted the concerns and sentiments of the "ordinary" American, often helping to acerbate or even create those concerns and sentiments.

Barnum effectively used newspapers and posters to generate buzz and maintain public interest in his ventures the same way Trump has adeptly utilized modern media, especially social media platforms like Twitter and now his own version that platform, to communicate directly with the public, shape narratives and maintain a constant presence in the news cycle.

Hoaxes are attached to both their reputations. But Trump’s latest stunt— claiming on Thursday that American journalist Evan Gershkovich, imprisoned in Russia— will be released when Trump wins the election, but not until... was that a threat or a signal to his Russian allies?  

In any case, by Friday Putin’s official spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied Trump’s assertions. More serious are concerns that Russia and North Korea may be planning an “October surprise” to benefit the Trump campaign. NBC News reported that the White House is increasingly concerned that the intensifying military alliance between Putin and Kim Jong UN “could vastly expand Pyongyang’s nuclear capabilities and increase tensions in the Asia-Pacific region… U.S. officials are also bracing for North Korea to potentially take its most provocative military actions in a decade close to the U.S. presidential election, possibly at Putin’s urging, the officials said. The timing, they said, could be designed to create turmoil in yet another part of the world” just before the election.

Barnum died when he was 80; hopefully Trump, who will be 78 next month and is suffering from dementia and is in generally terrible health, will die before reaching that age.