Flood: Trump’s strategy to disintegrate media and opposition

The expression “flooding the zone”(Flooding the area) describes a deliberate communication strategy in which a flood of ads and decrees is launched continuously, with the aim of saturating information channels and leaving opposition and stunned media. This tactic, used by Donald Trump since his inauguration, seeks to disorient critics and create an environment of confusion that makes the analysis and coordinated response of opponents difficult.

Jair Bolsonaro also applied this extreme-right strategy, having a similar effect in Brazil. All guidelines, amendments, provisional measures or decrees, as well as public statements, were sensational and controversial. One lightning war of informational bombings capable of bewildering the social reaction. The resistance was complex through different and simultaneous tactics, in all areas of society (Check it out at the end).

Misological, homophobic, racist, obscene or eschatological statements often engaged social networks, the media and the left, while the government tried to follow an agenda of labor, social security, privatist, dismantling state institutions. All guidelines worthy of a big protest on the streets, all subject to major press debates. But few had time or articulation capacity for so many simultaneous absurdities.

Nevertheless, neither Trump nor Bolsonaro were able to reelect themselves for the inability to respond effectively to the concrete problems of such large countries. Since his first government, Trump talks about doing great America again. The worker did not see this happen as promised, especially with the return of factories to the US or significant improvement in working conditions. The challenges of the United States are set at the table, and will not be resolved at the base of the bravarius. After four years, Trump will be tried for the concrete results.

To Trumpiana orchestra

Since his early days in power, Trump has made intensive use of this strategy. In his inauguration, he signed 26 executive orders, withdrew the United States from the Paris and the World Health Organization Agreement, eliminated subsidies for electric cars, among other controversial actions. More recently, the former president has generated headlines with seemingly absurd proposals, such as buying Greenland, building a resort in the Gaza Strip, changing the name of Mexico’s Gulf, resuming the Panama Canal, or ending the right to citizenship for children of illegal immigrants.

Each announcement, regardless of its viability, serves to flood the media with information that, in practice, makes it difficult to build a unified narrative and identify what really matters in the political agenda.

Steve Bannon and the speed of the pumps

One of the creators of the trumpper, political strategist Steve Bannon, is responsible for tuning this tactic. He was also a strategic articulator behind Bolsonaro government communication. In an interview with American TV, Bannon said:

“The opposition party is the media. They are dumb and lazy and can only focus on one thing at a time. What we need to do is flood the terrain. Every day we play three different things in them. They will bite one and we will do our things. These guys will never be able to recover. But we have to start at the same speed with which a bullet leaves a gun. ”

These words illustrate how the strategy aims to take focus from opponents, who are busy reacting to a new controversy while Trump follows with their agenda – often, without even having the power to solve the advertised problems.

Examples of Tactics in everyday

In the last 24 hours, the tactic of “flooding the zone”It was again demonstrated:

• Surprise rates and decrees: Trump announced steel rates and decrees to release plastic straws while simultaneously repeated that he would be the owner of the Gaza Strip.
• Accusations and contradictions: Amid such announcements, the former president said he talked to Russian President Vladimir Putin without offering details, further confusing public opinion.
• Political-administrative distraction: The president also signed decrees to dismiss career military and end the supervision of American companies, actions that, although questionable, divert the attention of critics of the government’s most substantial policies.

Consequences for the media and the opposition

The strategy has been effective in destabilizing the opposition, which finds it difficult to focus efforts to an avalanche of information. As a result:

• Saturated media: News and journalists find themselves forced to cover not only one, but all daily acts of Trump, which makes it difficult to distinguish between relevant actions and mere maneuvers of distraction.
• Difficulty building narratives: Excessive statements and decrees make it almost impossible for opposition to formulate consistent and coordinated answers, causing important questions to be overshadowed by the noise of constant provocations.

Impact on politics and global order

Although many of Trump’s statements – such as the possibility of attaching foreign territories – are unlikely to materialize, they have a real effect by confusing both the population and international allies and opponents. This environment of uncertainty can affect the credibility of the United States and undermine strategic alliances, while internal policy suffers from dispersing debate and erosion of control and transparency mechanisms.

Resistance: Focus on relevant issues

To neutralize the “Flooding The Zone” strategy, it is essential that opposition and communication vehicles maintain focus on issues that impact citizens’ lives. During Bolsonaro’s misfortune, the denunciation of unemployment, economic stagnation and the price of fuel were essential to unmasking diverse. The lack of concrete results of Paulo Guedes’ macroeconomics and the tiredness of society portions with the hate and coup discourse also played against. Trump has not yet responded to the problem of egg inflation, hoping that avian flu passes and stocks will return.

Instead of being carried away by each bombastic ad, the recommendation is to prioritize debates that address structural problems and long -term public policies. That means Establish a clear agenda. Focusing efforts on strategic topics such as health, education, safety and economy to prevent the narrative from being dispersed by punctual and irrelevant statements.

Differentiate the noise signal When using facts checking tools and critical analysis to highlight which ads have real impact and which distraction maneuvers are just.

Coordinated and unified communication

An effective response requires the political forces of opposition to unite and communicate in a coordinated manner. Among the recommended measures are the formation of a response block. Gather parties and leaders that can articulate a unified message, countering daily announcements with concrete initiatives and data that highlight the true priorities for the population.

Strengthening fact-chicking and transparency are tools for the fight against misinformation, which also involves strengthening facts checking mechanisms. For this, it is important support for independent factor-chicking agencies. Encourage the creation and maintenance of platforms that may deny, in real time, exaggerated or unfounded statements.

Transparency in government actions needs to be preserved in governments that tend to make access to public information difficult, as has been occurring in Washington. It is necessary to charge the government to provide accounts of the advertised measures and to evaluate which decrees have a legal basis and practical impact on society.

Media education and popular engagement

In the long run, it is essential that the population develops a critical awareness of communication tactics. In Brazil, the way fake news and lack of digital platform regulation has just made criminals tool for financial blows, ended up forcing a growing literacy of portions of the population who felt vulnerable. It is increasingly common to find people who know how to distinguish when information is false on the internet.

But institutions of government and civil society, as well as the media, need to implement Media Literacy Programs; Educational initiatives that teach citizens to distinguish between relevant news and mere attacks or distractions. Encouraging the engagement and active participation of society is also an option, so that voters will question and demand concrete answers from their representatives, rather than influencing themselves by empty ads.

International alignment and defense of institutions

Finally, the response to the “Flooding The Zone” strategy also undergoes a larger articulation with political allies and democratic institutions. The legislature and the judiciary were fundamental to block Bolsonaro’s most dangerous initiatives. In the US, Trump’s own return to power reveals the fragility of its institutions, which need to be rethought. Working together with governments and organizations that advocate transparency and responsibility in public communication is a form of cooperation to create a global environment that penalizes misinformation tactics.

The reinforcement of democratic institutions needs to advance to protect and value the control and accountability mechanisms, ensuring that the strategy of flooding information does not compromise the functioning of institutions and confidence in governance.

Resist politically to Trump’s (and far-right) Flooding The Zone tactic requires a combination of strategic focus, unified communication, rigorous verification of facts, media education and citizen mobilization. Only with a coordinated response and committed to transparency will it be possible to ensure that the population is not lost in the midst of the flood of ads and decrees, and that the questions of truth and relevance continue to guide the political debate.