Author: Brandon Seidman

The movie, ‘Apollo 11’ replicated a very historical time period within American history. Under the presidential reign of Richard Nixon, landing on the moon was an important step forward for mankind. Not only was landing on the moon a significant milestone but being able to launch a spaceship that far implied militaristic strengths as well. Given the time period, communism became a threat to America and its allies. In an attempt to fight back, America proved its technological strengths through the Apollo 11 mission. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin are responsible for successfully completing this feat.

In the book, ‘The Case for Trump’ written by Victor Davis Hanson, chapter 11, ‘Trump, The Tragic Hero?’ highlights President Trump and his reputation that he has created for himself. Tragic heroes are not intrinsically noble; much less are they likable and can often be obnoxious and petty, if not dangerous, especially to those around them. Characters such as these have been portrayed from Homer’s Iliad and Sophocles’ plays. These types of individuals rarely end up well and on occasion, neither do those around them. For a variety of reasons, both personal and civic, their characters not only should not be altered but also could not be, even if the tragic hero wished to change given his views of the human experience. Trump will end up in one of the two fashions, both personas will not turn out well for him. He will either be spectacular but unacknowledged for his accomplishments followed by ostracism when he is out of the office or a single term due to the eventual embarrassment of his beneficiaries. Tragic heroes do not necessarily intend to be heroic; sometimes their motives for confronting dangers or solving crises can just as easily be self-centered or arise from a desire for personal vengeance or fantasies. Their reputations are heavily spectated and in this case and era, to some, Trump has plagued his reputation through social media. Even before his involvement in politics, some may have disapproved of his character through his presence in the acting field. Some may definitely recognize Trump as a tragic while others completely disagree.

In the book, ‘The Case for Trump’ written by Victor Davis Hanson, chapter 7, ‘Trump on Decline’ highlights Trump’s slogan ‘Make America Great Again’.  Thus implying that America was not previously doing well from a universal standpoint because of previous political leaders. More specifically, this is due to the poor political performances from opposing political parties. More so than not though, political leaders present the same ideas in terms of making promises and statements that imply improvement for America. Given America’s relentlessness from technology and machinery, we are bound to excel forward from an economic standpoint; Trump emphasizes this through his propaganda.

In the book, ‘The Case for Trump’ written by Victor Davis Hanson, chapter 4, ‘Democratic Tribalism’ highlights anti-Trump campaigns that focused on his personal image rather than his political image. Thus meaning that opposing candidates in the 2016 U.S. election, such as Hillary Clinton, created negative advertising against him. According to this book, $250 million was spent in attempting to plague Trump’s reputation and name. He was labeled as a sexual predator, a colluder with Vladimir Putin, a tax cheat, and much more. Running against a candidate’s person, rather than his or her ideas has not led to successful results in previous elections. Some say that such a tactic is a waste of time and money and more investment can be put into more productive political techniques.

In the book, ‘The Case for Trump’ written by Victor Davis Hanson, chapter 3, ‘Modern Day Presidential’ highlights how and why Trump overshadowed his ideas and won the Republican nomination and election. Due to his characteristics, some wonder why people supported him throughout his political campaign. Although he made outrageous claims, Trump was never abandoned by his supporters because they felt as though he was retaliatory. It was implied by his followers that he was a long-overdue ballistic missile against those who had been plaguing the working class with racist attacks. Despite Trump’s large momentum shift within the Republican Party, it was inferred by oppositionists that this destroyed this sphere of politics. The reason being is due to the fact that his massive influx in Republican advocates directed support away from other Republican candidates; therefore, the future of Republican politics is at risk. Prior to his political career, Trump was a reality TV star and much of his imagery derived from this. Because of his media presence, Trump was notorious for his charisma, humor, and presence. Republican voters wanted more winning in politics; thus leading to more action within the White House. Beyond his appearance, Trump’s diction and what he was able to say became a force multiplier of his message. Typically after a year or so of exposure, politicians become repetitive in using the same few words over and over again. In the instance of Trump, he may have gotten repetitive, but his arsenal ranged between 500 or so words. It is implied by the author that Trump drew much attraction from the beginning of his political career in a good way.