The new Republican nominee for president is the guy we all talk about way too much. However, whether you are saying good things or bad things, everyone can agree he has really shaken politics up. Here are the 10 ways Trump changed the election:
1. He made immigration the hot topic.
Whether you agree or disagree with Trump's statements on illegal immigration, it's pretty clear he was one of the first candidates to mention the topic. He was the one who told the stories of Sarah Root, Brandon Mendoza, Dominic Durden and Kate Steinle. These people are the victims of crimes committed by illegal immigration, and he started the conversation on the issues facing the United States immigration laws right now.
2. He turned social media into his own form of campaigning.
Through the years there has been a radio president, Franklin Roosevelt, a television president, John F. Kennedy, and Obama is probably the first Internet president. However, if elected, Donald Trump might be the first social media president. Everyone knows how much he loves his Twitter account, and no matter which candidate you support, it's fun to check Trump's Twitter every once in a while because you never know what he's going to say. He's basically the Kanye West of politics at the moment.
3. He took on the establishment and won.
The general theme of this election has been the establishment candidate verses the outsider. A year ago, everyone thought this would be another boring Clinton and Bush election. However, it's a year later, and the people have spoken. They are fed up with career politicians, which gave rise to people like Trump and Ben Carson. It's not just the people on the right; the Democrats saw their own revolution. Bernie Sanders challenged Hillary Clinton's big money, and earned his spot as the outsider candidate. Voters felt as though it was time to have an outsider in office, and Trump filled that spot. He took on Bush, Kasich and Rubio and didn't even act like it was a challenge. The people at the Republican National Convention were thrilled with their choice, and Jeb Bush was at home crying about his once-promising career.
4. He has the ability to speak over the mainstream media.
This point partially goes back to his highly active Twitter account, but it's not just his social media; he is not afraid to call out the mainstream media. On many occasions, he has called out the media for twisting the story and reporting lies. He even called some lucky reporter a sleaze in the middle of a press conference.
5. He is not elegant with his words, but his supporters don't care.
In the last election, the most successful candidate was the one that spoke beautifully and fully articulated their point in words that only some people bothered to understand. Once again, that's not the case for Trump. This candidate speaks his mind, even if some of the things in his mind shouldn't be said. He's not afraid to play dirty and throw around insults, including members of his own party, and his supporters love it. Trump is basically your old uncle who speaks his mind and doesn't care who gets offended.
6. Forget the politics, it's all about his business record.
Arguably one of the biggest issues in the country today is how to fix the economy and some voters are convinced a career politician can't do that. Trump doesn't have a political record, so he's running on his business record alone, and so far that has really helped him. If elected, Trump would not be the first president that was a businessman, but he would be the first president to go straight from business to the politics. Despite the lack of experience, his business record is one of the main reasons he has so many supporters.
7. Paul Ryan is out, Trump is in.
When Paul Ryan was chosen as Speaker of the House back in 2015, he was seen as the new face of the GOP. However, his reign was short lived, and the Republicans began to push back against Ryan's establishment. When Trump started to gain momentum, it became very clear who was the new leader of the Republican Party. The Republicans decided they were tired of the same old guy who didn't stand up for them, so they went in a different direction. Now the Speaker of House is answering to the former host of "The Apprentice" and the world is basically upside down.
8. His family is taking center stage.
We may only be voting for Donald Trump in November, but that doesn't stop his family from sharing his large spotlight. His children recently took center stage at the Republican National Convention, and they were the best advocates on behalf of their father. Now when it comes to my personal beliefs, I'm not really a fan of Donald Trump, but I am a fan of Ivanka Trump. She is known as the campaign's secret weapon, but it's not really a secret. She has a way of connecting with younger voters, whether they love or hate her father. She is the modern feminist, and her message is that women can have it all: the career, the family and the equal rights. In her recent RNC speech, she advocated for women to get equal pay and stated that her father provides equal pay in all his companies. Ivanka wasn't the only Trump child that gave a great speech; both Donald Jr. and Eric Trump had standout moments. In fact, Donald Jr. could really teach Donald Sr. some tips to improve his speeches. The Trump kids were by far the stand out of the RNC, and we haven't seen the last of them either. The RNC was definitely a home run when it comes to the Trump family, and Chelsea Clinton is going to have to hit it out of the park next week to compete with them.
9. The media is all Trump all the time.
Clearly there is no such thing as bad press, and the rise of Trump is proof of that. A year ago, everyone thought that if the media made fun of Trump, he would just destroy himself. That obviously never happened, and Trump got 24/7 coverage. He was talked about so much he didn't even feel the need to put out ads on television, because everyone was talking about him. Some believe it's partially the media's fault for Trump's popularity, and seeing as they reported every time he breathed, it's easy to believe they could be to blame.
10. He's not the cliche social conservative.
Donald Trump is not the typical, religious candidate the GOP usually picks, even though he claims to be a Christian. Trump is a fiscal conservative, and voters were clearly willing to compromise on social beliefs. However, this actually helped the party reach more voters, because the independents are willing to move toward fiscal conservatism but not social. Donald Trump knows he can't lose his base of Republican voters, so he does argue states rights above federal, and social conservatives get behind that.
Who knows what's in store for November, but one thing is for sure a Clinton/Trump race will make for great television. Unfortunately for us, it's reality television. What a time to be alive!
