Blog 2: 2016 Campaign and Campaign Team

Donald Trump was assumed to have more weaknesses than strengths as a potential presidential candidate, but since his recent success of becoming the president of the United States it seems a reevaluation needs to be considered.

The strengths became clear when he won the election, the American people were intrigued and genuinely interested in an outsider candidate. He was not a politician and with the approval ratings for those in Washington so low it is understandable how his lack of time spent in the political system was deemed as positive. Another strength after further analyzation was his use of social media, he was so off the cusp and most times blatant in his expressions. His social media did not have the greatest connotation, but he was so unlike other candidates that his negative use of social media created more media attention thus putting more attention on him as a candidate and creating more name recognition for him at the polls.

His weaknesses as a candidate were also seen as some of his strengths. Him as an outsider candidate was appealing, but it also called into question whether he was the right candidate for the job. Some people questioned his knowledge of politics and how he would be too reactionary in the intricate political system of interpersonal relationships. Another weakness in his campaign was the scandal involving his as he calls it ‘locker room talk’. His character was slain and tarnished more than it had been previously. He was not known throughout his campaign as an upstanding man, but this incident for many people tipped the scale on his support. His campaign tried to lessen the value of this incident and push the idea that because he was an outsider candidate he has a past like any other human.

An opportunity that was noticed throughout the campaign was the scandal involving Hilary Clinton and her emails. This was apparent in the attack ads that the Trump campaign used to exploit her actions. The attack ads called into question her character and her ability to loyally and lawfully lead a nation.

A threat to the Trump campaign was that Clinton was a woman. The first female presidential candidate took many peoples attention. In many of her speeches there were a lot of phrases and words used to empower women, she expressed the oppressions woman experience and tried to become relatable to the majority of the country because of the female identity she shared.

It should also be emphasized and also made apparent that all of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats could be seen differently depending on who is in the discussion.

The issues I believe Trump showcased were immigration and economic stability. He spoke so much of his campaign about the wall, and you better believe that Mexico is going to pay for it according to him. Immigration regulation is something that is important to the American public and took advantage of that by making it a focal point of his campaign. He also tried to tie in his success as a businessman and give face to him being able to regulate and control the US’s fiscal economy. I believe that the education issue should have been addressed more, that is an issue that affects all Americans whether they have children in the system or they themselves are in the system. This issue is what I see as something that could have given him more legitimacy as a candidate and appealed to more moderate voters.

The key players that gave the Trump campaign the success it had was Kellyanne Conway campaign manager, Daniel Scavino director of social media, and Barry Bennett strategist. These people I feel really aided him in embodying how he wanted the American people to view him. Kellyanne has worked on campaigns for many elected officials in office. Something that has been noticed is that Kellyanne is very good at avoiding the answer to questions and diverting attention away from what the media wants to know which was used to Trump’s advantage. Daniel has worked with Coca-Cola and the Trump organization in previous experiences and Barry has worked on many successful campaigns for US politicians. It can be assumed that Barry and Daniel worked together on many issues. The way you portray yourself on social media is a strategy in itself. These men were most likely, from the perception of how the campaign went, the most utilized positions on the campaign trail. They were integral to the campaign because social media and how Trump handled situations that arose was some of the more appealing factors that gained widespread attention. 

Trumps campaign was unlike any other campaign that was ever seen, and is something that went against the grain of what most campaign guidelines are. Its success was unforeseeable and underestimated.

https://ballotpedia.org/Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign_key_staff_and_advisors,_2016

http://www.newsday.com/news/nation/donald-trump-reveals-stances-on-key-issues-1.12656447