The Trump Presidency - Paper Example

Introduction

The presidency of Donald Trump defied all expectations from the outset of his campaign. The identity of President Trump was not new to the United States and the world. He had enjoyed media attention from decades through his involvement in business and television shows. The president had developed a reputation in the real estate sector and branded his identity. These factors are favorable for a presidential candidate, but for Mr. Trump, he had also enjoyed controversy in almost equal measure. The campaign platform on which he ran did not work to minimize contention and develop a presidential figure in his persona. The president maintained his demeanor and courted controversy throughout his presidential campaigns. The campaigns he ran did not conform to the norms but instead strongly expressed his views without fear of political incorrectness.

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The question in the minds of most Americans and equally the whole world is how an opinionated individual with limited regard for doing things that traditionally impress voters managed to win the presidential elections. It is baffling to many how he managed to get votes enough to propel him to the presidency. The strategies employed by his campaign team have been objects of discussion and allegations have been made about interference by external factors to help him gain the advantage over his competitors the closest being Hillary Clinton. The question still lingers, and the discussions and investigations are still alive.

The thought of Trump running for the presidency was initially inconceivable. Politics was not an area anyone expected the billionaire businessman would venture. The surprise extended to everyone when he declared the interest and maybe took a fraction of the nation more time to comprehend. The next step was the primaries, and it seemed impossible for him to proceed mostly because of resistance that followed his declaration. The majority of information from the media did not present a picture of a serious presidential candidate. However, this was not a hurdle that discouraged or limited Mr. Trump. The Republican Party was his vessel, and he set out for the nominations. At this stage, it seemed harder for him to advance to anything meaningful. He was ridiculed, and it was clear he would be rejected at this stage but as the days advanced, so did his chances of winning the nomination. Eventually, he earned the party nominations to the surprise of his critics.

The tradition in political parties dictates that once a candidate wins the nominations, the party rallies support for the candidate as this ensures the party leads the government. However, Mr. Trump was far from the traditional leaders, and this posed a challenge even to his party members. This was displayed by the resistance he received even within the Republican Party. The comments he made during his campaign rallies did not help his situation as they went against what people considered the values of America as well as the convictions of his party. The straight-shooting president who did not filter his opinions to satisfy party needs was too volatile for what most could handle, and this did not endear him to the political leadership of his party. These factors were no deterrent to his ambitions, and he kept fueling the nation in readiness for his presidency. The Democratic Party at this stage must have felt comfortable. There was no doubt at this point that Mr. Trump's demeanor would be his downfall. The surprise was in waiting.

The days leading to the election were dramatic. The media must have had the most fun covering this period as there was always a story to tell. The campaigns were heated, and Mr. Trump kept it interesting. The Democratic Party capitalized on the antagonism created by Trump's statements during the campaign. The president remarks appeared borderline racist and intolerant to immigrants. The United States is considered the free world and consequently enjoys a large population of immigrants. Comments deemed offensive to immigrants are unlikely pronunciations by presidential candidates, but these did not stop him from speaking out his convictions.

The Democratic Party was affected when leaked emails by Hillary Clinton were disclosed to the nation. The credibility of their candidate was questioned, and this alleviated Trump's position. Mr. Trump finally had ammunition against the Democratic Party candidate, and he capitalized. The polls however still maintained a Hillary Clinton victory. Progressively, Mr. Trump improved in the polls but at no point did he surpass Hillary Clinton. The elections came, and history was made. Trump was elected President of the United States but did not win the popular vote. The world was shaken by the results but in an election conducted fairly, and the opponent concedes defeat, the only options left were to embrace the new leader and possibly the most powerful man on the planet.

The subject of the essay is how the President managed to win the presidency. The strategies used by the campaign team, the circumstances surrounding the victory and any other factor that contributed to his Presidency will be analyzed to provide understanding into how an unexpected candidate managed his campaign and achieved his ambitions. The essay will also examine how the billionaire president managed to acquire support from diversified groups within the country notably the poor.

The success Mr. Trump has achieved over the years is a significant factor that propelled him to victory in the elections. The success built by trump over the years have always put him on the limelight giving him celebrity status. As a television personality, he was familiar to almost if not all of America. The participation in The Apprentice and modeling provided him media coverage that endeared him to many of his voters. The brand built around his name was strong, and it elevated buildings that were associated with the brand. The person of Trump was not known all over the world (Murse).

Trump vast influence in the real-estate sector and his buildings provided him with the opportunity to support the country by providing employment and contributing to the country's economy. The success he achieved in this sector provided tens of thousands of jobs, and this was a significant achievement for a candidate running for the presidency in a country where unemployment was a concern. The voters would be convinced by his strategies to improve the rate of employment in the country considering as a private citizen he was still achieving this on a large scale. The President proclaimed during the election that he would provide employment better than ever witnessed in the country. The claims were justifiable by his success in business as he had partly proven his ability to successfully practice trade and this could be a testament to his ability to develop the economy and achieve better rates of employment.

The president's portfolio was vast and included numerous companies and corporate brands that supported his net worth at an estimated $10 billion dollars according to his disclosure although critics suggested he was worth much less. The image of a successful businessman with worldwide presence gave him credit as a leader who has managed businesses and one with the understanding of economics. This portrayed a candidate who could indeed improve the status of the country and make it great again.

The working-class white voters have traditionally supported the Democratic Party, and the shift to Trump is one factor that shifted scales to his advantage. The country's economy was not performing as expected and the working - class blamed trade policies in the previous administration as the cause of their misfortune. Trump's principle of America first promised to renegotiate deals to endure that Americans benefit sufficiently from trade agreements. The country was losing employment to countries like China due to cheaper manufacturing. This was assumed to be a contributing factor to the unemployment rates and the decline in the economy. The previous government was formed by the Democratic Party and this caused resistance towards the Democratic Party's candidate.

Trump promised to overhaul the trade deals during his campaign rallies. He pledged to introduce tariffs on importations to discourage the flight of jobs to foreign countries by motivating local manufacturing of goods. This was seen as a move that could drive costs higher for consumers, but the possibility of increased jobs was more convincing for the white voters. The measures would prevent the major companies from shipping job overseas to the benefit of the American working class. The workers especially those who work in steel and manufacturing towns had been feeling the effect of the shipped jobs progressively and the message from the campaign resonated with their plight hence the flight from their traditional voting blocks and consequently improving Trump's chances of winning the presidency.

The states of North Carolina, Ohio, and Florida went to Mr. Trump. The blue states that supported the Democratic Party were moving towards the Trump side. The working class especially the ones without college education deserted the party. The rural voters who for a long time felt their voices were not heard turned out in large numbers to make a statement and to ensure that their significance was explored.

Immigration was a controversial area during the elections and was a factor that contributed to Trump's presidency. The United States is a country with a large population of immigrants, but specific concerns have made the country less tolerant of immigrants. The dominant groups have had the highest resistance to immigration for various reasons. The dominant groups in the country may have felt threatened by change and that the previous president was a first African-American president. The Democratic Party's candidate was a woman and would have been the first U.S. female president. The trend the country was taken threatened the dominant groups as they saw the changes would eventually disadvantage them (V.V.B).

The increase in the population of immigrants threatened to render the white Americans a minority, and this was a scary possibility for the dominants. The option of a shift was not acceptable to the dominant group and hence the support for strict rules on immigration. The Trump campaign capitalized on this fear and made their mission to be strict rules against immigration to endear themselves to the white population. The cases of terrorism experienced over the years have mostly been acts of immigrants, and this fueled the assertion that immigration was adverse to the development of the country.

The Trump campaign presented themselves as favorites to enforce strict immigration laws and close the borders and prevent illegal immigration which was related to increased crime and terrorism. The immigrants were also viewed as a threat to employment for the dominant groups. Terrorism, crime, and unemployment were concerns to Americans and using immigration as a scapegoat was more convincing to the populace as they already feared domination by immigrants following their increasing population. The Democratic Party enjoys support from a majority of immigrants and would not be trusted to strictly enforce rules against them hence the Trump's candidature received a boost.

The scandal involving Hillary Clinton was an advantage to Trump's presidency. Clinton was alleged to have used personal email server as the secretary of State. The scandal received media attention and tainted the credibility of the Democratic Party's candidate. The leaks were attributed to Russian hacking, and the Democratic Party alleged that Trump's presidency was preferred by the Russian State. The scandal, however, did not affect the p...