Donald Trump’s presidential campaign was truly unbelievable. His brash attempt to claim the oval office had many in disbelief, wondering if his unconventional style would reign supreme. After clinching Pennsylvania, it was clear Donald Trump would become the 45th President of the United States. Although his campaign was controversial to say the least, his victory speech showed the world a different side to the new president, further mystifying him. Before one can understand how the rise of Trump ultimately triumphed, his campaign strategy must be thoroughly analyzed. This would enable citizens to learn from this election and have reasonable expectations for the President-elect.
At the start of the campaign, Trump appeared to be evading critical journalism, with all media giving Trump a spotlight only a fool would deny. As he continued to cleverly take advantage of the opportunity presented, his audience and image grew but, his words eventually caught up with him. In 2016, he was questioned and castigated every step of the way. After the scandalous video of Trump’s lewd conversation with Billy Bush surfaced, he faced an unforgivable backlash from the media and the public, ultimately giving rise to what the polls thought was his demise.
“No man is rich enough to buy back his past.” – Oscar Wilde
Numerous contradictions and bigoted remarks produced by Trump were exposed and denounced. These are only a few of the seemingly infinite list of preposterous things Trump said and did – a comedic video by Seth Meyers cover most of them. With these odds stacked against him, it was clear he was the underdog in the race but, Trump was a different breed. In fact, rather than being a total outcast, he exemplified many common American stereotypes; he flaunted his affluence and ideas though his insensitive and informal nature.
Style over substance matters
Trump cares more about the delivery of the message than the content within it. If you re-watch the conventions and try to unpack his rhetoric, one can see he does not typically offer in-depth and specific plans like his democratic counterpart. He framed his messages to appeal to the audience, and found ways to return to his strong points. His consistency on immigration issues seemed to be his strongest tool. He devalued Hilary by reminding voters she was the status quo. People would never forget the e-mail scandal and paid speeches which made her appear corrupt, adding to the idea of the status quo and elitism. By portraying himself as a completely unique alternative to the pool of candidates, he was able to make this style work. This is merely one fact of peculiarity among many Trump displayed in this election process. If the enigmatic candidate wasn’t already fascinating (or frightening) enough, his supporters were truly intriguing.
The mind of a Trump supporter
Not everyone one who voted Trump supported him. Some voters elected Trump out of spite for Hilary but, I’m not concerned about those voters. The voters who do support Trump are the interesting group. One finding by a fellow colleague, Joseph Burrell, took note of Trump supporters. Burrell explained the support for Trump was not the expected sea of misogyny and prejudice but rather, in his opinion, a misinformed people, oblivious to not only Trump’s discriminatory discourse but also, the general world around them.
“The people I spoke to weren’t motivated by the anger that became a staple of Trump’s campaign, some were completely oblivious to it, others were willing to forgive it because they believed that only he could improve the economy and their job opportunities.” – Joseph Burrell
Carroll Doherty and The PewResearchCentre produced an article about the supporters and the research showed the majority would rather have stronger law enforcement and border security than a citizenship for illegal immigrants. Although Burrell found people on the day of the election were focused on jobs and economy, Doherty had other findings. He wrote, “Just 35% of Trump supporters say undocumented immigrants take jobs U.S. citizens would like to have, and a third say that they are less hard-working and honest than citizens.” He also noted close to 60% of strong Trump supporters associated illegal immigrants with crime and 79% wanted the wall between America and Mexico. With an understanding of what a Trump supporter values most (less illegal immigrants, as they are believed to cause crime and take jobs, and more enforcement) a breakdown of the voting demographics by the Economist can be reviewed.
As the trends show, Trump’s largest ally was the older, white demographic. The demographic is one topic but, how it was not predicted is another.
The polls camouflaged a whitelash
The director of the UTSC Journalism Program, Jeffrey Dvorkin, has always told his classes to never trust the polls. These wise words rang true. The stigma around voting for Trump was overwhelming. Pollsters could not account for disingenuous replies and voters who quietly supported Trump. The data above shows 70% of the voter-ship was white.
CNN commentator Van Jones established, ““We’ve talked about everything but race tonight. We’ve talked about income, we’ve talked about class, we’ve talked about region, we haven’t talked about race.”
“This was a white-lash. This was a white-lash against a changing country, it was a white-lash against a black president, in part, and that’s the part where the pain comes.” – Van Jones “If coworkers found out who I supported, I would be labelled a racist and lose my job.” – Trump Supporter
Caucasians voted for Trump out of self-interest. Many of these white voters are from families with ties to European immigrants who arrived to America generations ago. With more and more movements such as Black Lives Matters, Third Wave Feminism (specifically subsequent branches of the theory which highlight how white feminism has the spotlight over other races), and the rise of PC Culture, many Caucasians, especially those from generations before millennials, may feel threatened. Movements call for change, and for people who have lived half of their lives understanding one way of life, it is comprehensible to see why other generations do not approve. To clarify, I am not saying the Baby Boomers and Generation-X folks are wrong about their views, nor am I saying everyone in those generations share the same opinions. Simply put, this much change is hard to handle however, discrimination and bigotry is inexcusable. With this in mind, the support around illegal immigration and terrorism (unfortunately, often associated with the Muslim community) is the driving force behind many Trump supporters. His controversial statements made it hard for people to be open about their views, forcing people to discreetly support Trump. With this in mind, it is important to consider what can be expected from a Trump presidency.
“If coworkers found out who I supported, I would be labelled a racist and lose my job.” – Trump Supporter
The Trump Tower in Chicago, Illinois – one of many Trump Towers around the world.
Trump will have more global influence than expected
Many world leaders expressed their dislike for Trump but now, may have to eat their words. Everyone wants to work with America; this can be seen by the sheer reaction many countries produced from the election results. America is the superpower of the world. Even if they operate in their own self-interest (as any country would) they have power other countries do not. Even if leaders dislike him, not working with America may not be a viable option. Additionally, the Brexit must be considered. With this complementary movement in motion, look for more countries to follow this trend of independence rather than interdependence.
It is clear Trump intends to build a wall bordering Mexico. Will Mexico pay for it all? Probably not. What he will do with the military is also interesting. He has mentioned he wants to bomb some countries but, also advocated for bringing American soldiers back to home soil; it is unclear what will happen but, his impulsive nature will definitely keep leaders on guard.
The Washington Post showed Trump is better with money than the media will lead you to believe (or at least, better than Hilary). Analyzing the campaigns, Trump spent considerably less money by the mid-October while also using most of his own finances. Yes, his businesses have gone bankrupt in the past and there a myriad of other controversies regarding his success but, he spent half a billion less than Clinton on this campaign. On top of the finances, his approach to this campaign needs to be admired in the sense that he risked everything. Yes, he is a demagogue but, had he lost this campaign, he surely would have lost everything else. This is also something the world will consider when dealing with the new president.
This election has transformed politics
I don’t want to give Trump more credit than he deserves. Although his campaign was a success, he is president because of the citizens who voted for him and because Clinton was and still is unpopular. Trump being a celebrity and businessman, with no political background or service in the military has already influenced other celebrities to run for the oval office in 2020 including Kanye West and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Even without a Trump presidency, his campaign still affected politics because it showed how effective charisma is on its own.
Slavoj Žižek declared he would vote for Trump because, “…if Trump wins, both big parties, Republicans and Democrats would have to return to basics [and] rethink themselves, maybe some things can happen there.”
Although Žižek’s hope is a possibility only four years of patience can reveal, the spectacle of Donald Trump has attracted many into this train of thought; the notion that Trump could be a revolutionary. Conversely, Trump has drawn many comparisons to Hitler. Regardless of what side you’re on, Clinton and Trump being as unpopular as they were is certainly something to consider for the next election and elections in other countries. A comparison of 2012 and 2016 voter demographics showed Clinton had less support from young voters than Obama and Trump had gained support from Hispanic and African American voters compared to Romney. Watch for other politicians and candidates to begin emulating Trump’s style (as unschooled as it may be). Do not forget, we have only seen a glimpse of his style; now that he is president, the real Trump will be revealed (or displayed further).
How can Trump be a good president?
Of all the queries and searches surrounding Trump, the most important question is whether Trump has what it takes to do some good. If Trump improves enforcement around the borders, and deals with immigrants, it is likely he will do so in a negative way, promoting further prejudice. Trump may also prohibit abortion, which could lead to more children being born, potentially impacting the economy due to an eventual need for more employment (although, if he provided those jobs or prohibiting abortions did not have a significant impact on the population, this being an issue would come down to whether you are pro-choice or pro-life). A temporary ban on all Muslims, mixing religion with the state, would spell for disaster, adding to Islamophobia and tension from the middle-east. Trump has criticized the media for being biased towards him, which could be the beginning of increased censorship. Ironically, this would work against his distaste for PC culture, which has affected modern communication and the degree to which people can exercise free speech.
My answer is this: Trump could reflect on his first speech as President and see a controlled temperament does not evoke attacks from the media. Americans can only hope his plan to grow the economy works. Although Trump will most likely not focus on the environment, Americans will appreciate more money and jobs if he is able to provide them. Trump must act on gun violence in the country. He supports the second amendment but, if he doesn’t seriously consider the gun crime epidemic as an issue, more lives will be lost. With increased racial tensions after this election, the border will be an especially sensitive topic. Trump could bring the troops home to further enforce their own borders but, maybe the wall really is the way. If it works in Game of Thrones (at least for the time being), why not give it a try?
In the end, the public must accept their new president and I challenge them to be optimistic. America was built through confidence, fortitude, and patriotism. Frankly, I see many citizens giving up. Remain open-minded, seek information, and exercise your rights as Americans.
For those of you with no hope, a car full of luggage and GPS directions to the nearest igloo up north, please give me access to your Netflix account when you arrive (I will reward you with a Kinder Egg and a BeaverTail).
By Bobby Hristova
This article was originally posted on www.termsandconditionssite.wordpress.com. Please note that opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views and values of The Blank Page.
