• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, March 14, 2018

Fired by the media -- by tweet or TV newscast. This is where President Trump is hiding these days. Face-to-face firings?  Please -- you only see that on TV reality programs...like “The Apprentice.”

Over a year ago, former FBI director James Comey got the news that he was let go while watching a TV newscast. Now, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson received his walking papers via a Presidential tweet.

Nice. The reality is that our Trump avoids face-to-face meetings. Maybe he doesn’t really like confrontation. Not too sure why. His reality TV show experience should have prepped him. He can at least “act” the role.

However, giving big political speeches at friendly rallies can be a perfect platform to present the tough-guy image. There isn’t any possibly of real person-to-person rebuttals.

Scripted TV shows work differently -- especially when it comes to feel-good TV family-friendly dramas. Here you find the hardcore boss realizing the error of his or her ways, usually thanks to a low-level underling. Then a boss may say: “Yes, I was wrong. I apologize.” Everyone smiles and feels good. Even the viewers!

Off-air TV-related firings are a different matter.

What's rare is big-time senior TV executives who are let go and then offer a realistic version of what went down -- the rights, the wrongs about how their digital media vision sucked; why advertising revenues weaken; or how they couldn’t find the latest edgier TV drama or reality show to capture the imagination of elusive TV viewers, critics, or ultimately, major big-brand advertisers.

Next time, to ensure the biggest bang for his buck, President Trump needs to amp up his powerful image, as only he knows how: Schedule a “live” TV firing on Twitter or Facebook.