Even in tribal days the leaders must have let their egos flare, and much of it may of been a mere superficial show, ,that primal show of power and strength which kept tribal society in order, is what modern human social hierarchies are imitating on a grand scale. Traditionally if you wanted to be chief you had to perform real feats of bravery such as taking down big game, or fending off invaders, now days everything has been so monetized and virtualized that in order to become commander and chief you must project the image of wealth and control within a media matrix which is completely outside of the evolutionary context of leadership.
Ronald Reagan was just an actor, but he learned to play the part of a great leader( and even though many of his policies where great failures, he is still remembered as a genuine leader,)and not the sock puppet of Bush Senior)
By building up the image of success, one can become successful, and even something as superfluous as Trumps made for TV persona, can take on an entirely different significance if it can be transferred to the political sphere.
Then again there is a legitimate concern that Trump could be a shill for the empire being used to tare down the other outside the box GOP contenders before stepping down, and smugly going back to his hugely profitable TV show, while someone like Hillary is swindled into the White House. If this is the case then we have truly sunken into a corrupt age and this whole Democracy debate is a complete farce.
The publicity he is gaining now would definitely carry over to the TV networks and as long as he doesn't burn too many bridges, whether or not he is being (fake or for real) (wins or loses) it seems like he will be fine. The litmus test will be for us to watch and see if he stands down, or if he goes balls to the wall come next year.