It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s Trump’s content strategy becoming less and less effective.
Plus: This Canadian tourism ad went viral for being nice
It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s Trump’s content strategy becoming less and less effective.
Have you seen the poster of Trump as Superman on Instagram? He literally posted an A.I. video of Trump Hotel Gaza on Truth Social. You can see his post of alligators in ICE hats is on X. You can probably find the A.I. photo of him on a Swiss mountain with a Canadian flag on Parler. Dude, there’s a pic of Trump with light sabers on Gettr. It’s on Gab. You can log on to Gab and see it. Log onto Gab right now. Go to Gab. Dive into Gab. You can Gab it. It’s on Gab. Gab has it for you. Gab has it for you.
President Donald Trump has long used social media and memes for trolling, but there are signs it’s getting tired. The day after the White House account posted a movie poster of Trump as Superman last week, it uploaded a picture of a message on a posterboard on the White House lawn that read, “oMg, diD tHe White House reALLy PosT tHiS?” Responding to the haters, the caption read, “Nowhere in the Constitution does it say we can’t post banger memes.”
It’s true the Constitution doesn’t bar the executive branch from posting memes (although maybe we should pass an Amendment??), but whether or not Trump and his administration have been posting bangers, though, is a whole other question. That the White House felt compelled to respond to the haters the way it did suggests the shock factor may be wearing off. It’s all so predictable they already know how people will respond, and that could be bad news for Trump.
Like paying people to show up for your campaign announcement or wearing your own merch, incessantly posting A.I. memes of yourself is inherently lame, but setting that aside, there are signs Trump’s content strategy doesn’t hit the same way it used to. The Superman post, along with Trump’s puzzling photo op staying on stage with the winning team at the FIFA Club World Cup over the weekend, were acts of image-making designed to show Trump as a winner, and yet they come at a moment of weakness.
Trump’s base is fracturing like never before over his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and a Reuters-Ipsos poll released today found 69% of Americans believe the federal government is hiding details about Epstein's clients. Add to that Trump’s approval, which is down across a range of issues once seen as his strong points, like immigration and government spending, and it’s clear Trump is politically weakened, but tried-and-true methods to reverse this might not work as effectively as they used to for him.
After years of stoking conspiracy theories from birtherism to election denialism, Trump’s facing political consequences for not being able to deliver on a conspiracy theory he long played up, and his efforts to move the news cycle on could now draw more scrutiny. “Just bomb Iran and everybody forgets,” as podcast host Joe Rogan said in an episode Tuesday where he criticized Trump’s handling of the files.
Though Rogan endorsed Trump last year, his suggestion that Trump played wag the dog with an airstrike hits a larger target that reveals Trump’s true kryptonite. When a majority of the nation thinks you’re hiding something, more voters will view your words, actions, and yes, memes, through the lens of distraction, only they’re not so distracted anymore. Suddenly, Trump’s skill for generating spectacle — something that’s helped him win two elections — is starting to look more and more like a liability.
Previously in Yello:
This Canadian tourism ad went viral for being nice
To help American visitors feel more welcome in Canada at a time when relations are strained, one local tourism office is playing Canada nice.
In a 30-second spot, a tourist shown checking in at a hotel front desk tells the receptionist he doesn’t speak French and sheepishly admits, “I’m American.” For a split second, a close-up shot of the receptionist clicking a red button underneath the desk might make viewers wonder if she’s calling security, given the state of U.S.-Canada relations. But no, she’s simply opening the front desk countertop so she can go and give the man a friendly embrace. “Come hug it out in Eastern Townships” is the ad’s closing tagline.
Tourism Eastern Townships is a tourism office for a region in Quebec that’s an hour’s drive from Montreal, and the region is especially reliant on U.S. visitors since it borders Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Trump’s tariffs on Canadian imports and calls for making Canada a state, though, haven’t been good for business.
Travel from the U.S. to Canada by automobile is down by 10.4%, according to data from Statistics Canada, the Canadian government’s statistical office, meaning the supply of U.S. visitors to the region that it once could count on for reliable day or weekend trips is drying up.
“Americans were actually, literally calling our hotels and attractions asking, ‘Am I still welcome? Are people going to be nice to us if we come? Are we going to be served in English?’” Tourism Eastern Townships director of visitor services Catherine Carignan-Lavasseur told the Canadian news network CTV News.
Those calls from Americans “sparked a red flag,” according to Carignan-Lavasseur, since U.S. tourists represent 6% of visitors to the region. The ad was meant to welcome them back. “The ad is a warm, humorous 30-second ad, but it’s also truly an invitation,” she said.
Trump’s antagonistic stance toward Canada has inspired a defensive “elbows up” response that’s shown up in Canadian consumer brand marketing and political messaging, but it goes against the stereotype of Canadians being unusually nice. While defensiveness and defiance might work well in politics, trade wars, and dealing with Trump, it’s bad for tourism, so Tourism Eastern Townships is trying an opposite approach.
For Americans considering a trip to Eastern Townships, the tourism office’s hugging ad arrives like a generous helping of warm Canadian maple syrup or a surprise Justin Bieber album at the end of a long week. While politics and borders divide us, a hug is universal. And by using an embrace to tell American tourists that they’re invited, the spot makes sure the message needs no translation. Visitors are welcome.
Have you seen this?
How an Instagram chatbot helped Mamdani’s mayoral campaign. The chatbot responded to hundreds of DMs everyday from Instagram users with requests to do things like volunteer, canvas or donate. It also responded when users mentioned Mamdani’s account in their Instagram stories. [Campaigns & Elections]
How much a busted brand really worth? Someone bought the Fyre Festival brand on eBay for $245,300. Was that too much? [Fast Company]
Trump gets ratioed. For the first time ever, President Donald Trump has been ratioed on his own social network, and it was for a post that literally started with the words “What’s going on with my ‘boys’ and, in some cases, ‘gals?’” [Whig]
History of political design
“Reagan Hood” button (ca. 1980s). The button depicts Ronald Reagan like a wolf in sheep’s clothing as Robin Hood with the slogan “Rob From The Poor Give To The Rich.”
A portion of this newsletter was first published in Fast Company.
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