The recent media exposure had left Trump and his political circle bruised and battered.
He sought out Martin to help rein in the media a bit.
In fact, in the original timeline, this scandal compilation also involved Ivanka and her company.
However, in this timeline, thanks to Martin reminders, Ivanka hadn't made those mistakes.
In a private hotel meeting room.
After the Secret Service checked the room for listening devices, Trump, Ivanka, and Martin entered.
As soon as Trump entered the room, he shook his head and said, "They (the mainstream media) have me spooked. It seems like they know every word I say. Now, I have to check for bugs every day when I get home. It's damn annoying, I've started having trouble sleeping."
"Perhaps the staff around you and those at home also need a check by the Secret Service. After all, it's easier to target them," Martin reminded.
"Hmm, you make sense. I'll take care of it," Trump nodded, then changed the subject. "So, Martin , I need you to help me deal with those damn media outlets again."
Martin sat down, smiled, and nodded. "That's not a problem. What can you offer, Father-in-law?"
Trump suddenly said, "Martin, why don't you join the Republican Party? I can be your sponsor. If you're willing, I might even give up my re-election bid and support you for the next presidential election."
Martin heart stirred slightly.
Ivanka also said, "Martin , I guarantee my father keeps his word, because his re-election is hopeless anyway."
Trump glared at his daughter. Such an outgoing girl, blurting out everything.
Martin was tempted.
He was a demon, capable of manipulating hearts, but he needed close contact with people. Becoming President would help him build a vast network in the US.
Perhaps he could set up a soul-snaring array in Washington?!
Of course, setting up a soul-snaring array in a bustling US city was extremely difficult due to the many buildings—you can't just go around demolishing skyscrapers or residential complexes. Plus, the diverse population made it easy to detect anomalies.
But Martin already had a rough plan in mind.
It certainly wasn't easy, but it was worth a try.
....
Three days later, news that Hollywood magnate, US energy tycoon Martin Meyers had joined the Republican Party was published in The Washington Post.
When Barrack Obama heard the news, he specifically called Martin, half-jokingly, half-complaining, "You little brat, if you wanted to join a political party, why not come to me? I could have been your sponsor to join the Democratic Party!"
Martin laughed heartily and brushed it off.
He couldn't join the Democratic Party. Although he somewhat appreciated the Democratic Party's governing philosophy regarding the lower classes, his goal in running for US President wasn't to build a better America, but merely to better "fleece the sheep," and to acquire demonic power by influencing public emotions during the governance process.
The Republican Party represented the elite. Once joined, he would become a fellow party member with most of the US's major industrialists, corporations, and financiers, allowing him easier access to these people. Then he could proceed with his plans...
...
Time moved to February 2019. The 91st Academy Awards ceremony was scheduled for this month at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.
This year's originally scheduled Oscars host—39-year-old African-American comedian Kevin Hart—was asked by the Academy to apologize for "homophobic comments and slurs" he had repeatedly made on social media.
However, this guy was also stubborn. He refused the Academy's request for him to apologize for his past homophobic remarks.
Ultimately, the Oscars announced the termination of his hosting duties.
Under immense public pressure, Hart finally apologized to the LGBTQ community in the statement announcing he would not host the Oscars.
Subsequently, the Academy considered finding a replacement host. But after some deliberation, they decided not to have a host at all.
This was the first time in 30 years, since the 61st Academy Awards in 1989, that there was no host.
Reportedly, the ceremony would feature a group of A-list Hollywood stars to introduce each segment instead.
According to tradition in recent years, all nominated Best Original Song entries were supposed to be performed live at the Oscars.
But this year, the organizers hoped to keep the ceremony within 3 hours, so they decided to only retain performance slots for two of the original songs.
Rumors suggested the Academy was inclined to give the slots to Lady Gaga performing "Shallow" from A Star Is Born, and to Kendrick Lamar and SZA performing "All the Stars" from Black Panther.
Once the news about cutting the original song performance time broke, it immediately caused dissatisfaction and protests from industry insiders and the producers of the nominated songs.
According to Variety, the Motion Picture Association had not finalized the list of performances.
On February 13th, over 40 renowned directors and cinematographers, including Spike Lee, Quentin Tarantino, Damien Chazelle, Martin Scorsese, and Roger Deakins, signed an open letter urgently appealing to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to reverse its decision to present four awards—Best Cinematography, Best Live Action Short Film, Best Film Editing, and Best Makeup and Hairstyling—during commercial breaks.
On February 14th, the Academy announced it was reversing the decision. The awards for Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Live Action Short Film would all be presented live during the broadcast. The Academy confirmed the news, stating all awards would revert to the traditional presentation method, without real-time editing and not during commercial breaks.
On February 24th, the Oscars began.
Looking at the list of winners, it was an awards ceremony that was neither particularly artistic nor commercial.
In summary: "The chaos in the film industry and business forced it to make changes, but this 91-year-old stubborn entity didn't really want to change internally."
Over 91 years, the Oscars' aesthetic and value systems haven't kept pace very well, to the extent that the most radically "black" film, BlacKkKlansman, could only run as a runner-up, while the chosen one was "not white enough, but also not black enough," Green Book.
The disparity between BlacKkKlansman and Green Book was just like the aura revealed by this year's entire Oscar selection process: "Thinking it's being very diverse, but the rules haven't changed; trying to respond to the pulse of the times, but the conservative spirit is very stubborn."