Donald Trump dominates the media

Is there such a thing as bad publicity?


It’s no secret that the media is freaking out about this upcoming presidential election. With the candidates ranging from another Clinton, a self-proclaimed socialist, and a businessman famously known for being a television personality, it’s no shock that media companies are hungry to publish the newest bit of information.

Whether it’s a news conference or the latest scandal, you’re sure to find hundreds of articles about it in the blink of an eye.

Conducting a presidential campaign is expensive, and all the candidates have used millions of dollars in an attempt to secure their future presidency.  According to a New York Times article, Hillary Clinton has raised a total of $296.4 million, Bernie Sanders raised $212.8 million, and Donald Trump raised $60 million.

Although Clinton has spent much more than her opponents, campaign spending does not seem to correlate with an increase of free advertising from the press. Lexis Nexis has created a US Presidential Campaign Tracker that updates itself every 15 minutes, producing real-time results.

These charts obtained from Lexis Nexis shows Donald Trump’s increase in popularity over the past 30 days. The businessman has received nearly $3 billion worth of free advertising, much more than Clinton and Sanders combined, according to Market Watch. While Trump appears in the mainstream media mostly for his controversial policies, all stories seem to be working towards his advantage. I guess there’s no such thing as bad publicity!

Trump supporters also seem to be on top of their game, snagging the greatest share of voice at 76.14 percent. Clinton and Bernie supporters are neck in neck with their support, with Clinton voters having a higher share of voice by a mere 1.38 percent. The Lexis Nexis database uses articles found on websites, news sites and blogs, as well as licensed print, broadcast, and Web news to chart their findings.

This social media chart analyzes seven days of coverage from blogs, comments, Twitter, Facebook and Google+. Among the top hashtags are #Trump2016, #TrumpTrain, and #MAGA (Make America Great Again), all pro-Trump.

His outspoken personality and loyal followers have pushed him to great lengths, clinching the GOP nomination last month.

Donald Trump is the candidate in the spotlight, and he knows it. It’s his main goal to stay in the media, in hopes that his opponents are pushed to the side. Whether articles are written about his proposed policies, crowded rallies, or his famous head of hair, there’s no beating the power that the Donald has in the Social Media Era.