Star author about Donald Trump: "Actions escalate"

t-online Star author about Donald Trump: "Actions escalate" Bastian Brauns • 59 minutes • 7 minutes reading time Investigative author makes it clear "The system is destroying Trump, or Trump is destroying the system" Michael Wolff has accompanied and analyzed Trump for years. In his new book, he shows how Trump is using the media, the judiciary and billionaires for his comeback. A conversation about power, strategy and the next big show. Bastian Brauns reports from Washington Hardly any journalist has had such direct insights into Donald Trump's political theater as Michael Wolff. The US bestselling author has spent years describing the world of the former and renewed president in his books. Now he is publishing his next unvarnished analysis with his new title "All or Nothing": Trump's return to power was not just a special election campaign - but a kind of survival strategy. In an interview with t-online, Wolff explains how Trump's insatiable desire for media attention, especially in recent years, has become a calculated strategy that ultimately brought him back to the White House. Wolff describes why Trump's legal problems have strengthened his political position and the role that billionaires - especially Elon Musk - are playing in his comeback. He provides insights into Trump's state of mind after the assassination attempt in Butler, his difficult relationship with Melania and his long-standing reluctance to share the spotlight with a vice presidential candidate. t-online: Mr. Wolff, you have been following Donald Trump for many years. Have you noticed any changes in him? Michael Wolff: One of the most remarkable things about Trump is how little he changes. His method has always been to double down on what has worked for him in the past. He thrives on attention - his entire political strategy is geared towards dominating the media cycles. In previous election campaigns, his approach seemed impulsive. In the meantime, his permanent dominance of the media has developed into an explicit strategy: if he has the public's attention, no one else has it. That is the currency that counts. So does that mean that everything - whether McDonald's photo opportunities, his legal disputes or calling the Ukrainian president a "dictator" - flows into this strategy? Exactly. It is not important what he says. It is only important that he says something. He knows that headlines determine public consciousness. Every provocation ensures that he remains at the center of the political discourse. Trump has only been president for a few weeks. Will it always continue like this? That is a safe bet. Even when Trump was no longer president and then later during the election campaign, he always followed the same credo: headlines, headlines, headlines. We see the same thing in the first weeks of his new administration: provocation follows provocation. And it works: he dominates the media and the consciousness of voters. But is he really just after attention? In particular, wasn't the so-called "Project 2025" more than just a media strategy from the start - namely a more comprehensive, long-term plan? Trump himself is hardly interested in "Project 2025". In fact, it annoyed him to no end during the election campaign. The people behind it, mainly from the Heritage Foundation, want to lure Trump with content that could get him headlines. They are trying to lure him in. And indeed, as long as it works, he uses it. But as soon as it no longer brings attention, he turns to the next topic. In the end, it really is always just about being the center of attention. In your new book "All or Nothing" you describe how Trump has turned his legal problems into a political weapon. Do you think he is deliberately undermining the US legal system, or is this purely a matter of self-preservation? I think it is both. The central premise in my book is: Either the system destroys Trump, or Trump destroys the system. And Trump has clearly destroyed the system. He turned the charges against him to his advantage. They strengthened his position with his supporters. He repeatedly told his team: "My PR strategy is my legal strategy. My legal strategy is my PR strategy." His election victory is effectively an escape from legal consequences. Trump's official presidential portrait was even inspired by his famous mug shot at the Georgia indictment. Is that part of this strategy? Absolutely. Trump's entire public appearance is based on the principles of reality show television. Conflict and drama keep the audience engaged. He was the star of "The Apprentice" for 14 years. That's a hell of a long time. That experience has greatly improved his skills.