If you’ve ever wondered where Donald Trump gets the nutty theories that shape his world view, look no further than his linking activity on his website DonaldJTrump.com and his dozens of weekly Truth Social posts that ricochet in right wing echo chambers.
I studied hundreds of Trump links on those two platforms from May through the end of July. Although it’s impossible to know if he actually reads every story he links to, it’s abundantly clear he’s swimming in the shallow end of the information pool and swallowing some of the water. This research grew out of my work for my newsletter TheRighting, where every weekday morning I visit roughly three dozen right wing news websites, a fraction of the more than 125 MAGA-friendly outlets that I’ve identified in my guide to right wing media.
My most shocking discovery was Trump’s propensity to link repeatedly to two websites most of you have never heard of. Over the course of the three months, Trump linked to Right Side Broadcasting Network (RSBN) 66 times. He probably favors the nine-year-old RSBN because they tend to stream most of his political rallies. The Associated Press has described RSBN as Trump’s “loyal herald” allowing him to “inject his vision for America directly into the veins of his diehard supporters.”
Another Trump favorite: Real America’s Voice (RAV). From May through July, Trump linked to RAV 54 times. The media outlet carries programming from polarizing voices on the right and Trump favorites like Steve Bannon and Ted Nugent.
Trump bestows his links on the other more prominent right wing sites – although in a much more limited way – including Breitbart (36 times), Washington Examiner (15) The Gateway Pundit (12), and National Review (9). He sometimes even goes outside the political press to spotlight links that support him like a June 11 link from Bitcoin Magazine, which trumpeted him as “the best choice for bitcoin.” Some prominent sites like Infowars, the Daily Wire and RedState were mystifyingly ignored during the three months I monitored Trump.
For many of these sites, especially the smaller ones, a link from the Fearless Leader represents an endorsement of immeasurable value. It validates a website and its content. And more than that, it’s a huge driver of traffic especially because it comes from one of the world’s top influencers. And that traffic surge results in not just more one-time visits, but more subscribers, more listeners to podcasts, more purchases of swag hawked on these websites.
His clear favorites were the mammoth Murdoch-controlled news outlets that dominated his linking activity during these months. He linked to Fox News videos and its website 194 times. The New York Post received far more links (90) than any other newspaper brand on the left or right. The Wall Street Journal was the laggard with 21 links. Even though he is often critical of their coverage of him, Trump uses these outlets frequently to amplify his vision.
And despite his famous contempt for mainstream media (or “fake news” as he frames it in his typically poisonous language), he doesn’t hesitate to link to a mainstream news site if it is critical of an adversary like Joe Biden or Kamala Harris. CNN received the most links over the summer (49) of any mainstream news organization, followed by The New York Times (34) and Politico (22).
So what will the fall bring?
If Trump wins the election, you can probably expect him to continue his current pace of linking. While being president of the United States gives him the planet’s biggest megaphone, his distrust of mainstream media and his insatiable need for boasting and bullying will lead him into the open arms of his Truth Social platform, which he controls. And that will be good for his business because it drives more traffic and users.
Assuming Trump loses in November, my guess is that he will spend even more time linking. He’ll inevitably claim the election was rigged and he’ll seek to strengthen that conspiracy-clouded argument with links to the sycophantic media outlets on the fringes of the right. And his ego won’t let him fade in irrelevance. He’ll still want to exert power and influence, and he’ll execute on that desire with nonstop linking.
So whether November voters send Trump back to the Oval Office or to Florida where he becomes the most famous unemployed person in Palm Beach, buckle up and grit your teeth. We’re going to be hearing a lot more from Trump — at least in the form of links — whether we like it or not.
Howard Polskin is the President and Founder of TheRighting, a free newsletter that aggregates more than a dozen right wing headlines every morning for mainstream and progressive audiences.
This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.