Republican candidate Donald Trump stumped the world to become America’s 45th President on Wednesday, November 9, 2016, a date the world will never forget. Many are dazed, shocked and even grief-stricken with confusion over how such an outcome could be possible. Following are 10 factors that helped Trump seal his place in the annals of history:
1. His perceived success: Donald Trump’s name is synonymous with success. The real-estate mogul was already a reality star of sorts whom every American household knew, loved or hated. Trump supporters feel that just like his real-estate empire, he would bring about an economic boom in the country, owing to his perceived past record of continued success.
2. The promise of more jobs: While both Hillary and Trump promised to bring more jobs to the country, Trump struck an emotional chord with the frustrated unemployed American by vowing he would drive ‘job stealers’ away from US.
3. Pro-life stand: US has been having a heated pro-life versus pro-choice debate and even though Trump seemed to be unsure initially, he eventually took an anti-abortion stand. All those fighting for banning abortion in America are rallying behind Trump and believe his presidency will save millions of babies from dying. It also won him a crucial vote – the church.
4. Anti-immigrant stand: An anti-immigration wave swept the US at a time when the world was grappling with a refugee crisis. Americans felt immigrants were flooding their country, stealing their jobs and disrupting their way of life. Trump promised to fix that problem by deporting a staggering 11 million immigrants. His proposal to build a wall around Mexico, which was dubbed ‘crazy’ by the Mexican President himself, was welcomed by many voters.
5. Muslim bashing: In one of his most controversial statements, Trump had proposed to bar foreign Muslims from entering America. He made the comments after the San Bernardino shooting, where a Muslim couple had gone on a killing rampage, which led to a spurt in Islamophobia. Anti-Muslim sentiments further grew in US, when a Muslim gunman killed 49 people in a Florida gay club, only fuelling support for Trump.
6. Anti-incumbency: The biggest factor favouring Trump was the fact that many traditional supporters of the Democratic Party said they would rather see him win the presidential race than have Hillary Clinton in the White House. The anti-incumbency wave was rather strong in the country, with many disillusioned with Obama’s consecutive terms. Clinton’s email row only made things worse for her and while people were ready to forgive Trump’s sexist comments, they weren’t ready to forgive or forget Bill Clinton’s sex scandal.
7. He resonates with the white-American: Donald Trump for many symbolises the ‘American dream’. He is what every white American dreams and aspires to be – rich, famous, with a beautiful looking family; which is why his slogan ‘Make America Great Again’ has struck an emotional chord with millions.
8. The outsider vs. insider race: Americans were increasingly frustrated with the political class. Trump was an outsider, someone who was not “part of the system” and someone who could change the system. Trump milked the fact that he was not a politician and projected himself as better than the present political class to Americans.
9. He is more flexible than others: While the Clinton camp had strong and sure strategies about issues and policies, Trump kept changing his stands on various issues. And while that was largely seen as dangerous by experts, the common man however felt he was more ‘flexible’. And now even political experts agree that even though Trump may have made poll promises that alarmed the world, once in the Oval Office, he would be more than ready to change his mind.
10. He speaks his mind:
- “I would bomb the hell out of those oilfields”
- “This very expensive GLOBAL WARMING bullshit has got to stop”
- “I’ve said if Ivanka weren’t my daughter, perhaps I’d be dating her.”
These are just some of the ‘crazy’ things Donald Trump has said during his campaign. The number of tweets he has deleted on second thoughts is probably not even accountable. But that is what America seems to like about him, that he is not afraid to speak his mind and that he does not speak like your typical white collared politician.
