Before I tell you what I will do in this piece, I will tell you what I will not be doing. I will not be commenting on or explaining what the Trump administration has executed in the last week. I will not be giving my personal opinion on him. I will not try to persuade you to think a certain way, whether you're a liberal snowflake or a member of the Donald Trump Fan Club.
The purpose of this piece is to analyze the similarities between Trump's campaign and his presidency thus far.
When he first announced as a candidate, most did not take him seriously. However, they did take note of his graphic language and controversial ideas. Some of his most famous words come from that initial announcement speech. You might remember his claim that Mexico is not sending its best, or that America no longer has victories, or maybe even his exclamation, "The American dream is dead!" After that, Trump was consistently featured in the media for any of these reasons. He said something controversial. He tweeted something controversial at 3 am. He said or tweeted something controversial that caused conflict between him and others.
As the election race continued, it became almost an expectation that the nation would wake up each day to something Trump-related blasting through all media. Millenials, the elderly, and even children were eventually familiar with his ideologies because of constant reminders via the media.
It is no secret that this was a campaign strategy to help him gain traction in the public sphere. Was this method annoying? Yes. Controversial? Yes. Smart? Definitely yes. Intentional? Who knows?
Flash-forward to now. Trump has declared war on the media, put steps into motion to build a wall, and tweeted, from both the POTUS and his personal account, that he will conduct an investigation into the voter fraud that lost him the popular vote. All of these events have been reported on by the most reputable news outlets of the nation. Each day, even each hour, there is a new update on his administration.
There has been major outcry in various communities throughout the nation. Many are offended, scared, and bewildered why any of this is happening. Many are relieved, enthusiastic, and empowered by his actions. However, I want to note that these reactions were exactly what different individuals experienced during the campaign process, after hearing or reading about some of his words. Regardless of what side of the spectrum an individual falls on, they are aware, either by direct collection of information or word-of-mouth, that Trump is making changes to the country.
At this point, I feel that there is a considerable amount of repetition in this piece; normally it is not interesting to read, but I hope in this case it has shown you that there are uncanny similarities between Trump's campaign and his presidency thus far. The reason? I am not quite sure. What I am sure about is that Trump is trying to promote the brand of a strong America with him it's commander-in-chief. Even though he has taken drastic measures, he has been able to attract the attention of the world and even instill unease into other countries. Whether or not Trump is able to take the attention he has garnered and turn that into a benefit for the greatest amount of Americans is yet to be determined, but I think that only time, and consistent Twitter updates will tell.