
Facing long odds, Donald Trump rewrote the political playbook - mbgaxyz
http://www.city-journal.org/html/winner-14837.html
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mbgaxyz
An interesting read. Some tech-related points to highlight:

> Trump also understood that his massive brand and social-media
> presence—particularly on Twitter, which he mastered and where he had built
> up a huge following years in advance—allowed him to be his own media
> platform and bypass the gatekeepers. He could go directly to the public. “I
> love Twitter,” he tweeted in 2012. “It’s like owning your own
> newspaper—without the losses.”

> Anyone having the temerity to support Trump felt the backlash. Activists
> tried to get firms to cut ties with gay tech entrepreneur Peter Thiel, who
> spoke at the Republican convention in favor of Trump. They likewise attacked
> Palmer Lucky, founder of the virtual-reality firm, Oculus, which was
> acquired for $2 billion by Facebook, when it emerged that he was financing
> pro-Trump activism. NPR commentator Cokie Roberts labeled Trump supporters
> “morally tainted.” Trump staffers faced the threat of being blacklisted for
> working for him.

