Donald Trump: What’s The Appeal?

This article was originally written for purposes unrelated to Youth Are Awesome, however I feel that it remains relevant here. 

Since his announcement that he was entering the American presidential race, the name Donald Trump has become synonymous with controversy. Already a glaringly successful businessman and real estate developer, as well as host of seven seasons of NBC’s The Celebrity Apprentice, Trump is no stranger to the spotlight. Although Trump has seen his fair share of backlash over controversial comments made before his presidential bid, he shrugs off the media and lets it have no bearing on what he says.

Despite all of the criticism Trump has received throughout his presidential campaign, from derogatory comments made about Mexican immigrants (and building a wall between the US and Mexico) during the announcement of his presidential bid to threats regarding banning Muslims from entering the US and even a war of words with the Pope, he continues to dominate in the polls. After all of the hurtful, racist and sexist comments that Trump has made, as well as the fact that he contradicts himself astonishingly often, he still continues to be one of the strongest candidates in the Republican primary polls. What is it about Trump that makes people like him and want to vote for him?

To begin with, Trump is the epitome of political incorrectness. He speaks his mind and does not particularly seem to care if he offends anyone. He is blatant, rude, and says it like he thinks it is. His distancing from traditional political convention make him a sort of “New Blood,” so to speak. He also has no withstanding political background, ties or lobbyists, making him appeal to those who are tired of the conventional ways that politicians rally for support. His ideas and ways of presenting himself are different and perhaps even intriguing to some. It is his campaign slogan, borrowed from Ronald Reagan’s 1980 presidential campaign, “Make America Great Again,” that sums up his ideas; Trump wants to eliminate all that, in his eyes, is negatively impacting the American spirit. By finding ways to lay blame on specific individuals and groups and make it seem like others are a threat to the freedom of Americans, Trump attempts to place himself on the pedestal of traditional American nationalism, where “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” are of the utmost emphasis.      

As Trump himself has put it, “I mean, part of the beauty of me is that I’m very rich.” Despite growing up privileged and upper class right from birth, his business ventures have brought him much further than most would have ever expected. Some voters are convinced that because his is so excessively wealthy, he feels no need to ‘steal’ from the common man, likely in the form of increased taxation of the lower class. By the same token, he is the embodiment of success and the American Dream, which is one of the main pillars of American nationalism as we know it. He represents the level of success that most people can only imagine and represents everything it means to be American according to traditional American nationalist values. His very story drums up the idea of, “If he can build himself an empire, what’s stopping him from building America up to that same level of success?” Trump is the stuff of legend, so a promise of change from him is taken very seriously by some. He presents his ideas in oversimplified ways that people can relate to, making him a figure that people can look up to because they understand his message and feel like he is reaching out to them.

It is Trump’s disputed immigration policy that is likely the most distinguishing feature of his campaign. His promise to build a wall along Mexico’s northern border with the US and to ban all Muslims from entering the country plays to the fears of the people. With radical groups like ISIS making headlines, there is a sense of unease growing in the West and Trump is exploiting it for all that it is. He is convincing voters that immigrants are stealing their jobs, posing an imminent terror threat and endangering their freedom. His anti-immigration ideas are appealing to many and play to the current fears of the populus. It was Barack Obama’s “Yes We Can” unifying attitude that gained him popularity while it is Trump’s “We’re Going To Build A Wall” mentality that is gaining him votes but is simultaneously creating division among voters.

Most of Trump’s supporters are white, and this brings up the interesting and equally controversial issue of white nationalism. More or less a blanket term for white supremacy, it is the belief that the white race is superior and needs to protect itself. White nationalists or anyone who behaves in ways conducive to white nationalism may not have their own state per se, as many nations today are primarily white however none are proclaimed as a ‘white nation’. Most of America’s white population who exhibit white nationalist beliefs and behaviours do not identify as white nationalist and are not representative of the white population as a whole.

In spite of this, rampant and somewhat blatant racism and the backlash it is causing, it may be a large reason why Donald Trump is rising in the polls. His white supporters might feel marginalized, even more so than the minority groups that Trump bashes and he makes them feel like their concerns as a ‘white nation’ are being voiced. His strategy leads them to believe that they are being treated as inferior because of the influence of other people. To clarify, Trump is subtly propagating white nationalism without identifying with any extremist group by making the white population feel as though other races are the problem. He appeals to those who who feel left behind by the American Dream and creates a scapegoat out of minority groups. His populist methods, the way that he plays to the fears and hopes of his audience, play a major part in his growing popularity.

It is perhaps most perplexing that Trump continues to gain the support of women and minority groups, in spite of all of the controversy surrounding comments and insults that he has made. Some who oppose Trump go so far as to compare him to Adolf Hitler and his condemnation of Jews in Nazi Germany. There is currently no real consensus on how Trump is gaining voters in these groups; most who attempt to figure it out are left scratching their heads. His appeal may be easily explained among America’s white populus, but it remains a mystery how he continues to gain steam among minorities.