Though some raised ethical concerns about the commodification of candidates for high office, the marketing tactic was here to stay. The arrival of cable TV, then the internet, merely magnified the practice.
But reaching where we are today has also required a dose of cynicism.
“How did we get here? The trust in institutions has largely eroded over the past several decades to the point where people only seem to trust the brands that they’re using as consumers,” Bonjean said. “Especially for Trump, there’s a whole set of people that just believe in him and believe in his brand no matter what he does, because they don’t trust the system.”
So when Trump looked the attorney general in the eye and explained that he was elected because of his brand, he was, in practice, simply stating a fact.
