Running head: DONALD TRUMP: MEDIA AND LEADERSHIP 2
DONALD TRUMP: MEDIA AND LEADERSHIP 2
Donald Trump: Media and Leadership in the 21st Century
Michelle Forsmo-Shadid
Instructor: Dr. Eric Klein
HON 470: Leadership in the 21st Century
November 12, 2018
Donald Trump: Media and Leadership in the 21st Century
Figure 1. Donald Trump (2016).
Love him or hate him, there is no denying that Donald Trump has made an impact on politics, leadership and the idea of what is socially acceptable behavior for a president. When Trump announced his candidacy in June 2015 not many people took him seriously. As a well-known businessman and former reality TV star, his candidacy seemed more like a publicity stunt than an announcement from a man who truly wanted to be president. During his almost 17 months on the campaign trail Trump did not follow the lead of previous candidates and paint a picture of a bright, unified future for America, instead he tapped into divisions already present while magnifying and inspiring astounding levels of anger and fear within the country (Scherer, 2016). I will look at how Trump used brand recognition, media coverage and social media to attract new followers and win an election and assess the implications of his aggressive and defiant leadership style on his ability to win the support of Congress and the American people.
A Political Neophyte, but a Master of Spin
History would lead us to believe that for someone to become President of the United States they would need to be a seasoned political operative, having spent years holding various political offices until they were finally ready to reach for one of the most powerful positions in the world. That was not the case with Donald Trump. He appealed to a section of the electorate that felt let down, maybe even betrayed, by its politicians. When Trump uttered his famous drain the swamp slogan, many people felt that they finally had a candidate who understood them and the issues that really mattered to them. He was an outsider who could come in and undo the mistakes of Obama and Bush to get the government back to working for the people who elected them. Make American Great Again is the perfect campaign phrase because it can mean whatever the hearer wants it to mean. It encourages them to think of a time when their lives were better off and makes them believe this candidate will be the answer to their prayers (Allcorn & Stein, 2018). But it was all smoke and mirrors. In reality, they elected a ruthless businessman, a self-serving executive and star of a reality show that has no idea of how to lead a nation, and no concrete ideology to base his decisions on. For all his posturing about his concern for all Americans, he has shown time and time again that unless those Americans are white, wealthy and heterosexual, he does not care what happens to them. The election...