The Internet exploded. The media went nuts. Politicians from both sides of the aisle balked. Foreign leaders shook their heads. Seasoned pundits performed involuntary spit takes. But none of it mattered. Why? Because Donald Trump represents a new moment in American politics when a media-savvy, celebrity-powered candidate can go around all the traditional intermediaries and speak directly to his intended audience. In fact, the nearly universal public condemnations may actually play right into his hands. From Vox: Donald Trump’s call to halt Muslim immigration is getting exactly the reaction he wanted.

+ There’s a more disturbing reason why the call to ban all Muslim immigration isn’t getting the same reaction from the voters as it’s getting from the talking heads. In a recent survey, “fifty-six percent of all Americans … agreed Islamic values are incompatible with American values.”