Can one man save the newspaper industry?The answer, at least with respect to national newspaper publications, is quite possibly yes. The savior’s name is Donald Trump.The avatar of “fake news” is being credited with breathing new life into the newspaper industry, as well as other mainstream media outlets. He is being called the greatest source of lead generation the American press has ever seen, inspiring hundreds of thousands of Americans to buy print and digital news subscriptions and memberships.The New York Times, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal have all seen dramatic increases in subscriptions and page views. According to reports, The New York Times is leading the surge with over 267,000 new digital subscriptions in the last quarter alone. Since the election, shares in the New York Times Co. have risen a whopping 42 percent.Moreover, cable news networks, such as CNN and the Fox News Channel, are seeing huge increases in viewers at a time when most other channels are losing them.Why the surge? Simple: Trump. The president is good copy. Like him or hate him, people can’t seem to get enough of him. He doesn’t abide by the normal rules of politics which people find fascinating.He is big and bombastic and so are the stories emanating from his administration. They are rarely boring and they keep coming.Many are returning to established journalism outlets for vetting and analysis of Trump’s often provocative statements and policy positions. For instance, people want to know if it is even possible to build a wall across the U.S and Mexican border and if so, what are the costs? Can a president order a wiretap? People want to know. Newspapers are providing the answers.There is a lot to sort out with this administration. And the list grows with each new tweet from the president. We are living in interesting times and the need to separate fact from fiction has never been more pressing. People sense this and they are turning to newspapers and journalists for the truth.It is likely others are taking newspaper subscriptions or watching certain news outlets as an act of defiance to the president who regularly bashes the press as “dishonest” or “disgusting” and who often uses the adjective “failing” in describing The New York Times.In a revealing contradiction, the president continues to riff on “fake news” when he finds a story objectionable. Meanwhile, newspapers are launching marketing campaigns urging people to subscribe that feature the words like “truth” or “facts” or “trust” that are proving highly successful.It seems the more the president savages the press, the higher the circulation numbers climb. Many newspaper owners and shareholders hope he keeps it up.