If Marjorie Taylor Greene is Trump’s spiritual successor, how do we respond?

Aristotle said nature abhors a vacuum – and the political world is no different, says Dave Maclean

 Marjorie Taylor Greene  (AFP via Getty)

No sooner was Donald Trump’s chaotic energy banished to the sun-drenched confines of Mar a Lago than Marjorie Taylor Greene took to the national stage.

It was near-instantaneous. Google Trends show that search traffic for Ms Greene soared from nowhere in the week in which the president lost access to his Twitter account.

Their similarities as media operators are striking. Ms Greene pulls so many tricks straight out of the Trump playbook: portray every criticism as proof she’s winning the argument, use any examination of her record or her actions as a launchpad for fundraising, and toss Twitter grenades with regularity to stay in the news cycle.

The question has now arisen in some quarters: how should the media report on her?

Donald Trump’s long-shot candidacy was, at first, mocked by seasoned political commentators or treated like an entertainment story about the hubris of a reality TV star.

Then, as his campaign became a realistic prospect, the media looked to methodically analyse his policy positions, his character, his business dealings and his associates.

But Mr Trump adapted, simply doing increasingly outrageous things to distract from the previous scandal or row.

It all culminated in his ultimate downfall — a speech that preceded a riotous storming of the Capitol by supporters — but until that point it had been a grim but effective strategy in a polarised, Twitter-driven news era.

One of the dominant demands from many on social media now is that the mainstream media should ignore Ms Greene in order to prevent “adding fuel to the fire”. But that often feels like a toddler’s attempt to cover their eyes and imagine a threat has disappeared — and now Ms Greene sits in Congress, the fire is already burning way out of control. We are long past the time when adding fuel was a problem, and instead must turn our attention toward how to put it out. That means paying attention, not just to what she’s saying but why she’s saying it, and why the people of Georgia’s 14th congressional district voted for her to keep saying it in the House.

It might feel more relaxing to scroll through your news feeds without seeing details of Ms Greene’s latest controversy, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened.

She rose to her position of congresswoman largely outside of the glare of the national spotlight. Media infamy wasn’t needed.

Ultimately, the media is here to inform. The readers then decide what to do with the information at their disposal.

People get the governments, and the representatives, that they deserve. 

It’s through unblinking coverage of politicians and their actions that voters make up their minds at the ballot box.

The media’s role is not to put its thumb on the scale; its only role is to tell the truth, comprehensively report on the actions of elected officials, and leave the voters to do the democratic legwork.

Yours,

Dave Maclean

US features editor