In this chapter titled Modern Day Presidential, Trump’s tactics to gather attention and win the presidency where discussed in detail, and specifically how Trump and only Trump could have gotten away with the crude and unprofessional demeanor that he became known for. Trump, unlike many of the other presidential candidates that ran in 2016 had a media persona that he had developed over a long career of his celebrity status. He ha gathered over his career what worked and had not worked in his outrageous and school-bully like behavior to please audiences and entertain the crowd, unlike many before him he used this strategy on a political scale to gain the edge over his political opponents who if they shot back, in the same manner, would be acting contradictorily to their political backbone. His unique accent was also discussed and how he used it unapologetically in contrast to others who situationally attempted to change their accents to appeal to more regionally biased crowds. This is one example of how Trump was regarded as a blunt and more “real” than his opponents. Furthermore, many saw Trump as a form of “Chemo to the cancer of politics”, a poison that may be painful but necessary to rid the disease. This theory is seen in his immature and often ridiculous and remarks that often bring others down while promoting himself, the attacking behavior was well known and apparently generated him a ridiculous amount of media coverage. Overall Hanson has very flatteringly shown off trump in his most appealing light to provide rhyme and reason to the culmination of the election while ignoring many of the other aspects of the election that allowed him to win and often gave trump way to much credit in knowing how his actions affected the crowd.
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4 replies on “Era Trump Chp 3”
I agree that Trump’s rise to the presidency was undoubtedly unconventional. Although some may consider his personality as a problem, and in some cases it is, it was instrumental in getting him elected and has ultimately been the primary behavior exhibited throughout his tenure. This larger-than-life celebrity personality directly contributed to bully like perceptions of Trump. But his ruthless and unforgiving tactics were crucial in getting him elected and inspiring the idea that he would cleanse the political world. Evidently, not everyone will be able to agree with such an extreme personality and enemies will try to paint him in a bad light. This is not to say that many of Trump’s decisions in office have not been highly controversial, but rather that his opponents may have a vested and perhaps even deeply personal interest in degrading his name.
I agree with this comment. His ruthless and unforgiving tactics as a rookie, unconventional politician were instrumental in getting him elected. He did mention about the inspiration for cleansing the political world, while his opposing candidate was just worried about winning the race over him. It’s nearly like he used this specific personality to make his opponents point fingers at him rather than worry about their own campaign and individual status in the election. It’s quite a smart tactic, yet risky one to win this election… especially as an unconventional and inexperienced politician.
Nick,
I think you do a nice job summarizing the chapter here, and your ERA is very informative. Trump’s approach to politics was very unconventional, and based on the election results, it ended up working. Some people wanted a break from politicians. Others hating Trump hate this about him, which resulted in a large divide in the public. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the next election.
I think this is an effective summary of the third chapter. I was particularly suprised by his description of how Trump’s character and personality that he displayed on the stage of the Apprentice becamse such a useful asset for him on the campaign trail and in his subsequent presidency. It seems unexpected at first, but there is a level at which it makes sense. The TV show and Trump’s appeal for president were both made for a broad American audience, and their success can be judged by the amount of attention and favorable ratings they get from the American public.