Gina Chick, David Genat, Guy Sebastian, Poh Ling Yeow, Elon Musk and Donald Trump don’t have a lot in common – except that they are the living embodiment of the essential truth of reality television: there can only be one winner.

Gina, David, Guy, Poh and countless others have turned their success at surviving, dancing, cooking and singing into brilliant careers probably beyond their wildest dreams.

Donald Trump applied the same single-mindedness to become the most powerful man in the world. For more than a decade he was in the living rooms of millions of Americans most weeks, picking winners, barking his judgment. Viewers did not see the squadrons of producers, camera operators, sound people, makeup artists, fixers and fawners. Truthiness trumps honesty as most of us understand the concept of accuracy.

As a nearly 80-year-old, DJT has instinctively absorbed the lessons of television all his life. While others struggled to make sense of communications scholar Marshall McLuhan’s theory that “the medium is the message”, he lived it. He strove to be an influencer before the term was invented; he was, and continues to be, the ultimate product placement. The sneers of others fed him.

For all the talk about the power of social media, Elon Musk,........

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