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Alex Bruesewitz, media adviser to US President Donald Trump, speaks with the media at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster on June 13, 2023, in Bedminster, New Jersey. [Ted Shaffrey\/AP]<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
President Donald Trump\u2019s \u201csuperpower\u201d is his image and personality, says Alex Bruesewitz, a senior adviser shaping the White House\u2019s digital communications strategy and a central figure in its outreach to online audiences.\u2028\u2028<\/p>\n
Speaking to Kathimerini, Bruesewitz describes a strategy aimed at reconnecting Trump with the cultural relevance he once commanded before entering politics and translating that into political momentum in the digital age.\u2028\u2028<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew Donald Trump before he entered politics through his celebrity\u201d he says. \u201cHe was a billionaire who was on television every night. He was the star of \u2018The Apprentice.\u2019 He was at New York parties with supermodels and actresses, he was featured in 257 hip-hop songs and he was a cultural icon, everybody loved him, the media loved him.\u201d\u2028\u2028<\/p>\n
That image, he says, changed dramatically when Trump entered politics. \u201cAnd then he decided to run for president as a Republican, and he kind of lost that celebrity image. And not because he wanted to, but because the media took it away from him. That was one of his superpowers.\u201d Reclaiming that \u201csuperpower\u201d became a central objective. \u201cDuring the 2024 election, it was very important to help reclaim that image\u201d Bruesewitz says. \u201cWe were able to do that by having him team up with the modern-day celebrities \u2013 the YouTubers, the influencers on Instagram and TikTok \u2013 and the president was cooler than all of them.\u201d\u2028\u2028<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has influenced the White House\u2019s communications approach quite a bit\u201d he adds.\u2028That shift is now visible in the day-to-day workings of the administration. \u201cThey lean into the president\u2019s celebrity a little bit more\u201d he says, noting a steady stream of high-profile visitors. \u201cWe have had high-profile athletes and singers, and just other types of high-profile people visit the Oval Office this go-around. We\u2019ve had Andrea Bocelli do a private performance.\u201d\u2028\u2028<\/p>\n
What sets Trump apart, in his view, is something no other political figure can replicate. \u201cIt\u2019s very unique to the president. No other politician in America has that type of star power. No Republican, no Democrat. It\u2019s very unique to this president, and so it\u2019s important that we use it.\u201d\u2028\u2028<\/p>\n
Despite the prominence of digital media and a growing cast of influencers, Bruesewitz insists that message control remains centralized. \u201cThe president controls the message, the buck stops with him\u201d he says. \u201cThe Truth Social posts that you see that get fired off \u2013 when they\u2019re actually words, where he\u2019s actually sending a message \u2013 that comes from the president.\u201d\u2028At the same time, he draws a distinction between original content and reposted material. \u201cOccasionally, there\u2019ll be a video or something that gets sent to him and he reposts it. That\u2019s not necessarily coming from him.\u201d\u2028\u2028<\/p>\n
A major part of the strategy, he argues, is engaging younger audiences who have drifted away from traditional media and, in many cases, from politics itself. \u201cDefinitely\u201d he says when asked whether younger voters are disconnected. \u201cAnd disconnected from politics altogether.\u201d Trump, he argues, has reversed that trend. \u201cThe president has done a really unique job of getting young people engaged in the voter process whether you vote for him or against him. He made young people get involved.\u201d\u2028\u2028<\/p>\n
He frames that engagement as a broader democratic impact. \u201cWhen people talk about democracy \u2013 and Greece is the birthplace of democracy \u2013 there\u2019s been no greater American president for democracy in my opinion than Donald Trump\u201d he says. \u201cBecause he brings tens of millions of people to the polls every single year who probably would sit out of the process.\u201d That surge in participation, however, cuts both ways. \u201cIt makes our job a little bit more challenging, because he brings out a lot of haters, but he also brings out people who love him.\u201d\u2028\u2028<\/p>\n
Looking ahead, Bruesewitz says he hopes that level of engagement endures. \u201cMy hope in a post-Trump America is that voter engagement stays high, especially with young people, but we\u2019ll see what happens.\u201d\u2028<\/p>\n
On the future of media, he rejects the idea that new platforms will fully replace traditional outlets. \u201cRight now they complement each other\u201d he says. \u201cThe new media spend a lot of their time trashing the old media. The old media spend their time trashing the new media. And they kind of have a symbiotic relationship. They both need each other.\u201d\u2028\u2028<\/p>\n
Still, he is sharply critical of mainstream outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post and CNN. \u201cThey aren\u2019t journalists anymore. They\u2019re activists\u201d he says, while acknowledging similar dynamics on the political right. \u201cIt\u2019s very hard to find an unbiased news network. But I think people have also stopped searching for unbiased. They have their beliefs now, and so they seek out channels that share their beliefs.\u201d\u2028\u2028<\/p>\n
He also pushes back against the idea that elections can be won online alone. \u201cNo,\u201d he says. \u201cYou need to have the mechanics of a traditional campaign. You have to have people who can show up to knock on doors for you, who can show up to rallies for you.\u201d Digital and ground operations, he argues, must work together. \u201cYou need to have online capabilities, but also the traditional mechanics; some people get a little lazy, and they think you just need one or the other, but you really need both.\u201d\u2028\u2028<\/p>\n
Asked about the administration\u2019s more aggressive and confrontational tone online, Bruesewitz dismisses concerns about risk. \u201cWe get that question a lot\u201d he says. \u201cI have a lot of faith in our team who\u2019s doing the messaging at the White House.\u201d Ultimately, he sees the tone as inseparable from Trump himself. \u201cNo matter what the president does or says, he\u2019s going to be viewed as polarizing\u201d he says. \u201cThis White House mimics the president\u2019s personality a bit more, which is better.\u201d\u2028\u2028<\/p>\n
That approach, however, is not easily transferable. \u201cNot every Republican, not every politician can communicate the way the president does,\u201d he says. \u201cHe has a unique style. He also has a unique tone.\u201d For that reason, he offers a note of caution to others who might try to replicate it. \u201cI\u2019m personally a fan of the strategy\u201d he says. \u201cBut I wouldn\u2019t necessarily encourage other politicians to do that as well. I don\u2019t think they can get away with it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n