Category: Donald Trump

Health Care Policy:

Tulsi Gabbard:

Tulsi Gabbard has many viewpoints on health care. She believes in revising the ACA and Coverage Expansion, believing that there should be universal coverage “public option.” She believes in finding international drug prices and matching, and reducing the cost of Medicare. She is pro-choice, stating women should have the full choice over their own bodies. She believes in Medicare for all without eliminating private insurance and opposes repealing Obamacare. She states: ‘In my home state of Hawaiʻi, hospitalizations and emergency room visits for opioid-related conditions have more than doubled in the last decade. More people are now dying from overdoses than motor vehicle accidents. This opioid epidemic is killing 91 Americans all across this country every single day.’ (Tulsi Gabbard, 2017).

Joe Biden:

Working with Obama has given Joe Biden a hands on experience with the problems America faces regarding healthcare. Biden stood by Obama’s side when he signed the Affordable Care Act into law. Biden plans to protect the Affordable Care Act, wanting to give Americans an insurance like Medicare that is accessible to all but with the ACA incorporated. Biden is a Catholic but believes abortion should still be legal. He reversed his position on the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funds from providing for abortions. He now supports federal funding for abortions. Concerning immigration, he has not mentioned much but wants to expand funding for community health centers that accept people regardless of immigration status.

Donald Trump:

Trump’s main advocacy in the healthcare area is repealing the Affordable Care Act, known as “Obamacare.” Instead, Trump plans to replace it with a “free-market system” (Business Insider). According to the RAND corporation, Trump’s healthcare plan would have resulted in 15-25 million fewer people having health insurance, and a significant increase in the margins of the federal deficit. Although Trump has not been successful in repealing the ACA, he has weakened it notably.

Trump has made many promises through his campaign in the healthcare industry. One of his main promises was to get consumers to purchase drugs for the best value, requiring providers to post prices for their products. He has also promised to allow people to buy drugs overseas. This would ultimately have drugs be at international prices. Trump has also stopped reimbursing insurers who waived deductibles and copayments. Since then, insurance companies are raising customer’s premiums by 20%. There are positives and negatives to Trump’s promises, and a medium has yet to be found that is beneficial for all.

Education Policy:

Tulsi Gabbard:

Concerning education, Tulsi Gabbard supports increasing education funding to where college is free. This originated from Bernie Sanders’ legislation to remove undergraduate tuition in college, which she is a strong supporter of. She wants to target public colleges that make up to $125,000 a year. She wants to protect funding for education programs, especially for disadvantaged children. She believes in increasing STEAM opportunities for students and investing in early education in general.

Joe Biden:

Joe Biden opposes for-profit charter schools. He believes that public school education funding should take precedence, as more students attend and should be given the same opportunities. Biden believes in making the first two years of college free, and student debt plans should be expanded. In October he released a $750 billion plan that would make the first two years of community college free. He believes in increasing funding for educators as they are ultimately shaping a student’s knowledge. Biden is also a strong advocate for universal kindergarten and pre-K.

Donald Trump:

Trump’s campaign has not been notably focused on education compared to other areas. However, he has indicated his interest to eliminate Common Core, and his support for Charter schools. He claims education spending is a priority, but his proposed budget for the 2018 year cut funding for education by ~13%.

Many claim that his education budget completely overlooks the true needs of students in public schools. The administration has also included another proposal to implement private school vouchers into the federal budget, allowing $5 billion in federal tax credits for private school scholarships. Many deem this as unfair, and all expenses should be going towards public education, especially for schools who need additional help with expenses. Trump Administration claims budget cuts are necessary for popular programs such as the after-school programs as well as programs supporting healthy and safe schools.

Criminal Justice Reform Policy:

Tulsi Gabbard:

Tulsi is a strong advocate for criminal justice reform. She wants to fix the “broken criminal justice system.” She believes in the federal decriminalization of Marijuana, and get rid of the barriers to the hemp industry which would create jobs and help the economy. She is a cosponsor of the SAFE Justice Act which reduces sentence minimums for non-violent drug offenders. Gabbard also wants to act on the Juvenile Justice System, helping youth have a stable life after Juvenile detention. She desires to give them a “community-based system of support.” Gabbard also has strong view points on Human Trafficking Survivor Empowerment, introducing the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act to clear criminal records of survivors to trafficking victims.

Joe Biden:

Biden has supported many bills that eliminate minimum sentences for drug offenders during his time as the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee. He planned to create a $20 billion grant program that would reduce incarceration and crime in states significantly. He also believes in reforming the police, and facing crime hands-on, hoping to fine and abolish the primary source so crime rates will decrease. He defends his role in supporting the 1994 crime bill, which Democrats often oppose. He does not believe in legalizing marijuana and views it as a “gateway drug.” However, his campaign has changed his views and says he will decriminalize the use, and allow states to choose their own rules about recreational use.

Donald Trump:

One of the main reasons Donald Trump is so popular and successful with his campaign is because he resonates so well with traditional American citizens who go strictly by the book. In terms of criminal justice reform, Trump is known to be a “law and order” president and wants people to learn from their mistakes from their time in prison. However, during his Presidency, he has signed the First Step Act, a bill made to reduce recidivism, and give inmates a second chance at education, jobs, and rehab programs for those in need.

One of Trump’s most recognized cases was the case of Alice Johnson. Alice Johnson got life without parole for a first time non-violent drug offense. Kim Kardashian-West, a well known celebrity and lawyer, pleaded her case during an Oval Office meeting with Trump. Kardashian-West fought hard for Johnson, as Johnson had already served 21 years behind bars and been a model prisoner and took responsibility for her actions. Soon after, Trump commuted Johnson’s sentence and gave her a second chance to better herself from here on. The case sparked major media coverage, and gained Trump some likeableness.

My goal for this essay is to provide a rhetorical analysis of the 2016 presidential debates between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. In doing so I wish to convey how politicians are world-class public speakers who use their knowledge of the field of rhetoric to manipulate and persuade their audience. These debates were without a question of doubt a testament to the power of persuasion. While Trump was not the most qualified and experienced candidate, he still managed to win the race to the presidency and in doing so proved that all election campaigns, at their core, are about persuasion. Aristotle states in his theory of rhetoric that to be a compelling speaker one must be well-equipped with the three pillars of persuasion, ethos, pathos and logos. Clinton and Trump are perfect examples of two presidential candidates who draw largely on the three pillars of persuasion. Hilary draws mostly on the ethos and logos methods of persuasion and has a very careful, calculated, and cautious style of speaking. Often Clinton draws arguments from her previous years of experience within politics which she contrasts with Trump’s lack of experience. Trump, however, relies heavily on pathos style of rhetorical appeal. He successfully uses slogans such as his famous “Make America Great Again”. Trump doesn’t rely on facts, but rather uses his character and charisma to invoke more emotional-based responses from his viewers. Through applying Aristotelian theory to the case of the recent presidential debates it becomes clear that both Trump and Clinton either consciously or unconsciously used ethos, logos, and pathos in their election campaigns.

The appeal to ethos is defined by Aristotle as human character and goodwill (Aristotle, G. A. K. 2007). Throughout the presidential debates, both Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump use this appeal to work in their favor. Donald Trump through drawing attention to his success in business is trying to create an image of a strong leader and businessman (Swanson, 2016, Paragraph 9). Trump does this through his successful presentation of the analogy between running a business and ruling a country (Bump, 2017, Paragraph 1). Additionally, Trump is very comfortable in complementing himself and therefore never misses an opportunity to praise his own character and goodwill in public. This is evident when he makes comments such as “My whole life is about winning. I don’t lose often. I almost never lose” (Los Angeles Times staff, 2017). Hilary Clinton also utilizes the appeal to ethos in her favor. However, Clinton draws attention to her previous years of experience in politics. She uses much more complex and hard to understand language and ultimately is appealing to a more educated audience. While Clinton was very successful is appealing to her target audience, it is argued that Donald Trump, through the use of easier-to-understand language, ends up coming across as a friendlier and more trustworthy candidate. Hence it can be deduced that the ability of a public speaker to present themselves as a trustworthy individual can ultimately have a huge impact on your ability to persuade.

The appeal to logos is defined by Aristotle as the pure essence enclosed in speech. Within the field of rhetoric, it is the truth that becomes revealed through a logically constructed argument with clear cause-and-effect relations. This logically constructed argument needs to have a claim that is backed up with relevant evidence and should have nothing that deals with emotions as logos must appeal to the intellect and reasoning skills of the viewer and nothing else (Sellnow 2005, p.387). Analyzing the use of logos by both Trump and Clinton in their strategies, it can be concluded that Trump clearly loses to Clinton as she uses the logos 26 times while Trump uses fewer (only 23 logos were identified in his strategy). Clinton uses more logical arguments to convince the audience than Trump, as well as different enthymemes and examples to support them.

Finally, the appeal to pathos is defined by Aristotle as an individual’s emotions. He states that emotions are all feelings that change a person’s judgement and that are also attended by pain or pleasure. Such are anger, pity, fear and the like, with their opposites. Both Trump and Clinton appeal to pathos throughout the presidential debates, however, it is argued that Trump does so more effectively. Trump successfully utilizes pathos, through invoking fear and anger into his supporters, which he uses as a control mechanism (Ball 2016). This is done when he makes claims that America is being ruined by foreigners or that Hilary Clinton is working with the Russians. For example, during one of the presidential debates, Donald Trump while talking about illegal immigrants said “They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists”. While these claims couldn’t be further from the truth, Fear is claimed to be the most primal and strongest emotion which people can experience and hence these claims work in Trump’s favor (Turner 2000, p. 70). In addition to this, Trump also successfully utilizes humor to work in his favor and draw the attention of the audience. As stated by Alfano and O’Brien (2011), jokes and other forms of humor basically appeals to pathos because they put the audience in the right emotional state to be receptive to an argument. This appeal to humor in seen through almost all the presidential debates and is used by trump as a way of dodging hard questions by turning them into something humorous. Hence, the reason Donald Trump was ultimately so successful in his presidential campaign can be attributed to his ability to manipulate audiences into believing him. Trump through the campaign was able to portray himself as a kind of hero who is able alone to save the nation from illegal immigrants and Muslims. That is why people affected by the appeal support him. That is why after the question who is going to pay for the border wall, thousands of his supporters are replying and that is ultimately why he won the presidency.

The 2016 presidential election showcased the ever-growing and increasingly hostile partisan divide within The United States of America. The highly publicized battle between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton catapulted controversial issues like immigration, healthcare and gun reform into the forefront. Aided by the recent explosion of social media, Donald Trump infiltrated an untouched population of lower- and middle-class white Americans who were feeling the brunt of an increasingly globalized environment and a democratic government that were not pertaining to their needs. However, in the weeks and months prior to the election, opinion polls historically failed to quantify Trump’s support. In the days after Trump’s presidential success, many people were left stunned by the inaccurate pictures painted in public opinion polls (Enns et al., p.42). Without reference and knowledge to their properties in question, samples sizes, methodology and potential for bias, it can be easy to draw false inferences. Critically analyzing 2016 opinion polls is imperative in understanding the collective inductive weakness of their findings and the misguidedness that they inevitably created.

In the month prior to the election, Pew Research conducted a series of opinion polls to gauge support for the two running competitors. In one survey conducted over a five-day period in late October, Pew asked how much respect Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton respectively had for America’s democratic institutions. By using a scale from ‘none at all’ to ‘a great deal’, Pew concluded that 63% of Americans agreed that Clinton had some to a great deal of respect. Trump scored lower with only 43% (Doherty et al., p.1). Pew surveyed 2,583 adults over the age of 18 with 2,120 of the participants having likely already registered to vote. Their large sample left a ±2% margin of error with a confidence level of 95% (Doherty et al., p.76). As the margin of error was so small, Pew had little risk of hastiness in their findings. The sample surveyed were from all 50 states in the USA and Pew made sure that the survey was accessible for both English and Spanish speakers. To make sure their sample was representative of the American public, Pew went to great lengths to include a wide variety of different people. By using a mathematical procedure, attributes like race, religion and educational attainment were weighted to match the “2014 Census Bureau’s American Community Survey and population density to parameters from the Decennial Census” (Doherty et al., p.76). By implementing this weighting technique, Pew was able to use their findings to conclude that they had used the principle of total evidence. In Pew’s opinion, their survey could be used to generalize to their target population of 18+ citizens in The United States. However, Pew’s method of attaining their information was not so conclusive. Pew surveyed by telephone. They reached 647 participants by landline and 1,936 participants by cell phone. When a call was answered, the pollster would ask for the youngest member of the household who was over 18 and then ask them for their opinion on how much respect Trump and Hillary had for America’s democratic institutions. On reporting their findings, Pew only used information from participants that did have an opinion. They failed to mention how many people chose not to answer in their poll so the findings are inaccurate because there is no percent to represent the non-answers. Even though Pew tried to gather a representative group of people to engage in their survey, their sample was atypical. Not only was the census data used to calculate their representative sample two years old, but their survey question was extremely vague and difficult to answer. For the average person, being asked ‘how much respect do you think Donald Trump has for America’s democratic institutions’ gives no visceral reaction. More likely, questions regarding what America’s democratic institutions are and what defines respect enter the mind. The question is not relatable to people that do not follow politics or have a grasp on democratic institutions. It can also have the unintended consequence of ostracizing people with lower levels of education because the answer is incorrect or inconsistent with their actual political beliefs. Furthermore, the important variable of youth is disproportionately present in Pew’s methodology. Results from the 2016 general census estimate the mean age of US households to be 48.6 (US Census Bureau, 2016). These statistics suggest that Pew’s sample may be favoring younger people over the older population. Pew infers that this method of finding survey participants “improves participation among young people, who are often more difficult to interview than older people because of their lifestyles” (Pew Sampling).

Even though Pew may have gathered information regarding a hard-to-reach section of the population, the results from their survey were generalized to the entire population of The United States and without factoring in people of all ages, they may have failed to represent the true proportion of nationwide beliefs. Pew’s inductive argument regarding how much respect Trump and Clinton respectively have for America’s democratic institutions can be rated a 4/10. Pew tried hard to gather information for their survey in an unbiased and inclusive way but failed to create a truly representative sample. Their survey question was too vague and could not be objectively analyzed because of the different personal interpretations of the meaning of respect and/or what America’s democratic institutions are.

Similar to Pew’s research poll, a few weeks prior to the 2016 election, Bay News 9 conducted a popularity poll asking Florida locals, who would you vote for? Political reporter Stuart Rothenberg calls Florida, “a ‘neutral’ landscape …and because they perform at or near the national margin, they give a good indication of the partisan direction of the cycle” (p.1). Florida is one of thirteen swing states in The United States and their pre-election opinion polls can paint a reality of election outcomes. With the whole country watching Florida’s every move leading up to the voting day, Bay News 9’s poll was of great importance. Bay News 9 conducted their survey with SurveyUSA and offered six options for the ‘who would you vote for’ question including Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Jill Stein and still undecided. In a tight race, Clinton led by 48% with Trump trailing behind at 45%. 1,400 Florida adults were surveyed including 1,314 likely already registered voters and 1,251 very likely determined to vote voters (News 13 Florida). Contrary to Pew, SurveyUSA asked participants questions about age, race, education etc. in conjunction with their election questions. They also asked questions about the participants voting habits and found that 1% of previously voting adults would not be voting in the 2016 election because of their dislike for both Trump and Hillary (News 13 Florida). Bay News 9’s survey sample left a ±3% margin of error with a confidence level of 95%. As the margin of error was relatively small, Bay News 9 had a small risk of hastiness in their findings. Bay News 9’s sample featured a wide cross-section of the Florida community. 28% of survey participants were between the ages of 18-34 and over 50% of participants were of retirement age, closely mirroring Florida’s age demographic. They also asked questions regarding party affiliation, religion and personal gun ownership (News 13 Florida). The methodology of the survey was simple yet effective. They implemented a mixed method mode to make sure they reached people from all walks of life. 65% of the surveys were completed via cell phone or landline but SurveyUSA also included options for participants to complete the survey through a range of electronic devices including laptops, tablets and smart phones. SurveyUSA focused primarily on registered voters and then weighted the information to be accurately representative of the Florida population (News 13 Florida).

Bay News 9 and SurveyUSA focused on easy and answerable questions that left little room for interpretation nor were they restrictive in who could understand and clearly answer the questions. Their sample, although smaller than Pew’s, focused on a wide range of different groups that reflected the diversity in Florida’s communities. By focusing on a sample of a specific community, it was easier for Bay News 9 to apply the principle of total evidence and generalize that for Florida as a larger population, in October of 2016 Clinton was the public favorite. Bay News 9 and SurveyUSA’s inductive argument regarding who the people of Florida wanted to vote for can be rated as a 7/10. By using a range of methods to engage with participants, creating easily answerable questions and by not limiting their reach in regards to who they surveyed, Bay News 9 and SurveyUSA created a strong inductive case. In the weeks that followed, support for both Trump and Hillary changed with Trump winning the Florida election with a 49% margin (‘Presidential Election in Florida’, 2016). Like most opinion surveys across The United States, Bay News 9 did not predict this change in the polls. Trump’s success came as a shock to a lot of people throughout the country. Even though the outcome of the 2016 did not reflect the opinion polls, it does not necessarily make polls like Bay News 9 bad or weak. One of the main theories for this phenomenon has been coined ‘shy Trumpers’. This idea implies that prior to the election, many people felt embarrassed to show their support for Trump in opinion polls because he was the ‘socially undesirable’ candidate (Mercer et al). The ‘shy Trumpers’ theory suggests that when people were surveyed, they did not tell the truth about their political beliefs or chose not to engage in opinion polls making it hard for almost all opinion polls throughout The USA to be truly representative and accurate in regards to predicting the outcome of the election.

The 2016 presidential election showcased a very strong divide between the left and the right. However, unlike the many opinion polls suggested, Trump triumphed over a hard-done-by group of Americans and took the presidency. By analyzing the inductive arguments in some popular opinion polls, it is clear that without understanding their individual properties in question, samples sizes, methodology and potential for bias, it can be easy to assume them as strong and accurate. By uncovering their faults, it is evident how the disparity between speculation and reality occurred.

References

1. ‘America’s Families and Living Arrangements: 2016’. United States Census Bureau, 2016, www.census.gov/data/tables/2016/demo/families/cps-2016.html. Accessed 31 May 2019.
2. Doherty, Carroll, et al. As Election Nears, Voters Divided Over Democracy & ‘Respect’. Washington DC, Pew Research Center, 27 Oct. 2016.
3. Enns, Peter K., Julius Lagodny, and Jonathon P. Schuldt. ‘Understanding the 2016 US Presidential Polls: The Importance of Hidden Trump Supporters’. Statistics, Politics, and Policy, vol. 8, no. 1, 2017, pp. 41-63. ProQuest, https://login.ezp.pasadena.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezp.pasadenaedu/docview/2178972373?accountid=28371 , doi:http:/z dx.doi.org.ezp.pasadena.edu/10.1515/spp-2017-0003.
4. Mercer, Andrew, et al. ‘Why 2016 Election Polls Missed Their Mark’. pewresearch.com, 9 Nov. 2016, http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/11/09/why-2016-election-polls-missed-their-mark/ Accessed 2 June 2019.
5. News 13 Florida. ‘Exclusive Florida Decides Poll: Presidential race to come down to wire’. baynews9, 25 Oct. 2016, http://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2016/10/25/florida_decides_polls_presidential_race#pdfs Accessed 2 June 2019.
6. ‘Pew Sampling’. pewresearch.org, www.pewresearch.org/methods/u-s-survey-research/sampling/. Accessed 31 May 2019.
7. Rothenberg, Stuart. ‘Swing States, Battlegrounds and the ’12 Map’. Roll Call, Jun 14, 2012. ProQuest, https://login.ezp.pasadena.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezp.pasadena.edu/docview/1020394786?accountid=28371.
8. ‘U.S. Presidential Election, Florida, 2016’. ballotpedia.org, 2016, http://ballotpedia.org/Presidential_election_in_Florida,_2016 Accessed 2 June 2019.

I know very well that you can’t touch Trump with a ten-foot pole without getting into some kind of controversy. Whether with his supporters or his opponents, I’m going to try. I’m going to critique Trump’s inauguration speech. I am going to try to go as non-political as possible and talk not about the content or the veracity of the claims in his speech but rather to talk about his delivery overall and his message. Donald Trump’s inauguration speech is a great example of how bad delivery can turn even a good script into a mediocre speech.

Let’s start off with some of the problems with the speech. First of all, Donald Trump is not very good at using Teleprompters. Ideally, with a teleprompter, you’re going to make your transitions from the left to the right in the middle of a sentence. You won’t wait for a pause or the end of a sentence to transition between Teleprompters. The idea is, you want your audience to think that you’re just speaking from the top of your head, not reading from a script. When Donald Trump finishes his sentence, and then he shifts from one teleprompter to the other one in a very obvious manner before he begins with the next sentence. That is a huge mistake. The second thing that you want to be aware of with Teleprompters is it’s very easy to sound like you’re just reading a script instead of delivering a powerful speech.

The second problem with Donald Trump’s speech is that he’s not very good at handling audience applause. In addition, here is the thing with presidential speeches, you are going to have a huge audience, and the audience is going to want to clap as many times as possible. Unfortunately, Donald Trump squashed many moments where the audience was beginning to clap, but then he kind of stopped them by just continuing on with his sentence or continuing on with a new thought.

Now let’s talk about Donald Trump’s third Problem with his inauguration speech. Let us talk about his hand motions. By now it’s a pretty well-known fact that Donald Trump’s hand motions need a little help. And it was no different in the inauguration speech. Donald Trump seems to alternate his hand motions a lot throughout his speech. Donald Trump seems to use one hand almost exclusively, left or right it doesn’t matter, he’ll just use one hand at a time. I don’t know how everyone feels about this, but I find it extremely distracting.

All right so now let us talk about some good things that Donald Trump did in his inauguration speech. The first one was he was good at hyping up his supporters. He always has been, because that’s how he won the election. The speech was a lot more direct and aggressive than most inauguration speeches, true to Donald Trump’s style. And really the main message that he was trying to get out there was, ‘look, you’ve been ignored and you are unhappy with all of these problems in America. Now that you’ve elected me, I’m actually going to listen to you, and we’re going to make these changes.’

You don’t have to agree with his policies or agree with Donald Trump, you don’t even have to like him to understand that that’s a good message for his supporters to hear. So in that sense, he did a good job. The second thing that he did well, and this is a personal favorite of mine, is that he gave a shorter speech than usual. It’s very difficult to get a modern audience to pay attention to a speech that’s longer than fifteen minutes. And Donald Trump went just for sixteen minutes. His inauguration speech was the shortest since Jimmy Carter’s in 1977.

The third thing that I liked in his speech was the more positive tone in the second half. While I think that the first half was overly negative and kind of aggressive towards the current system, I think in the second half he took on a more positive tone. If he wants to rebuild his image, he’s going to have to keep using that positive tone and talk about how we will work together to rebuild our country. Not everyone will buy it, and his opponents certainly will think it’s disingenuous. I think he could turn around people’s impressions of him if he continued to use that kind of positive rhetoric.

The final thing that I think Trump did well was integrating his ‘Make America Great Again’ campaign slogan into his inauguration speech. At the very end of his speech he used the technique called Anaphora to build up energy in the audience and to build up the energy of his speech in preparation for the campaign slogan ‘Make America Great Again’. “Together we will make America strong again. We will make America wealthy again. We will make America proud again. We will make America safe again. And yes, together, we will Make America Great Again”. Overall, I think Trump’s inauguration speech was a step up from his average speech, but still not very good.

“America is thriving, America is flourishing, and yes, America is winning again like never before”. The president’s words express the view of most Americans. Ever since the election of President Donald Trump, the nation can boast of excellence. His conservative agenda, initially opposed by most, has proven beneficial to the sectors of the society health, religious and economic sectors. The policies implemented by the Trump governance are slowly but steadily propelling the country to its superiority. Arguably, Donald Trump is the best president in the United States.

Unemployment is rarely spoken of, especially in the minority groups of the state. His government has come up with policies regarding labor provision that is considerate of every individual. In Trump’s term, the manufacturing sector, for instance, has grown to employ up to two times the number of employees it used to in other regimes. President Trump also championed workers’ unions as they defend their rights; hence, no people will be taken exploited. It is noted that between the times he assumed power and December 2018, around 4.8 million citizens had been employed. By the end of January 2020, the number of jobs created was 5.3 million. The higher number of people working defines a cyclic nation where revenue will be higher.

Trump is lauded for signing the $1.5 trillion tax cut bill in 2017. The move was to ease the strain imposed by Obama Care’s individual mandate on the economy. Initially, the taxes cut from the people were used to cater to Obama Care. In his reform, he promotes Medicaid while providing that at a cheaper tax rate. The cut saw people getting hired on monthly incomes, improving their lifestyles. This and other congressional bills saw the states experience dynamic economic growth. US-based companies outdid their equals in market value just two years after the ascension into power, under MAGAnomics.

Healthcare is one of the sectors that Trump has had influence over. In the reduction of strain on Obama Care’s individual mandate, more people were able to afford health care. He signed a managerial order to upsurge market rivalry and make the healthcare market open. Plans that reach across state lines short-term plans made it easier for patients to access quality healthcare at an affordable price. Some projects allowed people and small business owners to come together and purchase coverage outside the Obama program. A diverse source of coverage ensures that individuals can acquire the healthcare they see fit and can afford. Health practitioners are encouraged to work as they are paid on a client basis than a general rate as in Universal Health Care systems.

In his administration, Trump set up regulations to reduce the price of generic medication because most of those suffering from terminal illnesses were in the dependent class. He also reduced the number of people on food stamps as well as curbing food stamp fraud. President Trump also signed the right-to-try bill. The bill allowed terminally ill patients to try out experimental treatments without the approval of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Initially, they were unable to participate in the experiments, and some of the medications could have lengthened their lifespan. The opioid epidemic in the States also saw relief in the president’s policy as it was lessened.

In his campaign, the president had promised social welfare, and he stuck to this plan. The measures taken encompassed all sectors from housing to racial discrimination, as at Texas Tech University. He ensured fair housing policies where people were not overcharged, depending on proximity to a town setup. In this reform, the housing standards were improved to ensure physical and health safety for the citizens. He released a proposal for the change of tools for assessment of poverty as the current one many Americans on welfare, and they were capable of providing for themselves. The move saw more citizens out of the support programs and into productive income-generating activities.

Jews were discriminated against in the government. President Trump developed policies that protected them and gave them recognition in the nation. He made a decree in May 2017 on National Day of Prayer, exempting religious organization taxation. The move met opposition, and by the following years, the faith-based organizations had benefited up to 13 million US citizens. In 2019, Trump’s government allowed religious organizations to foster care. His policies seem Christian-biased, they have helped the greater good of Christians who had moral and humanitarian intentions.

The education segment has also improved during Donald Trump’s rule. He proposed a values-based education system where graduates are all rounded, work professionals. Trump advised superior school choice to develop the education system. He used the example of Janiyah Davis from Philadelphia to highlight the impending profits of school choice. He has advocated for vocational training in the high school syllabus for skills enforcement. During his administration, faith-based organizations were allowed to fund services and products to private schools federally. The move eased administration in the schools, thus allowing more students. The focus on education ensures that the job market employs qualified and skilled individuals.

President’s Trump regulations and conservative agenda do not focus on general human welfare but also that of the unborn. A policy governing abortions was signed into a bill opposing Obama’s previous regulation. He abolished policies the Mexican policy for International Planned Parenthood. He even stopped funding trust funds that had links to unnecessary life termination, China’s one-child policy. The funds were channeled to other institutions that needed the funds for a plausible cause. This policy was also extended to illegal immigrants that wished to practice abortion. The plan is life-preserving and conserving, and Trump’s government is appreciated for it.

The States national security was a champion for Trump’s manifesto, and he has stayed true to it. His primary focus was on fighting terrorism, and research carried out proved that the residents were confident in his governance. The fight began with ISIS in Iran, and by the end of 2018, they lost 98% of their territory. He achieved this success by expanding and restructuring the armed forces and increasing their funding. The force’s welfare was well catered for improving efficacy.

Illegal immigration into the states, especially from Mexico, had troubled the country before President Trump. He had promised to reduce the rates, and by 2018, it had become challenging to get past the border. As well, he came up with policies regarding refugees, especially those of Muslim origin. In his defense, they were going to move in slowly and would soon overthrow the government as most terrorist groups are from such ethnicities.

The success of President Trump’s leadership is remarkable. It can majorly be linked to trust the people in their president. When he was voted in, he made that he fulfilled his manifesto up to 80% in the 1000 days. He is a man who speaks his man and sticks to his words. The transparency in which the government carries out its mandate has contributed to its accomplishments. The opposition he faced in parliament, at the beginning of his leadership, pushed him to stick to his manifesto. For trusted leaders, it is easy to glide over the people’s approval and ignore their duties. This is not, however, the with President Trump.

The record set by the president is outstanding and will prove unbeatable for leaders to come. He has encompassed all sectors of development, ranging from employment to people’s security. The effect of security in the States is felt all over the world with a reduction rate of terrorism ever since he assumed power. His government has promoted equality and equity for the minority groups who were, at times, denied opportunities based on race. Finally, the government is led by a drive for the people’s welfare at the lowest price. His charisma motivates the people t to him; this is because his leadership is more natural compared to others. Thus, Donald Trump should definitely be recognized as the best president of America.

Neo-pluralism rejects the idea of a totalitarian society. This means it does not only tolerate many ideas however it accepts other opinions, religions, and cultures. It is not the concept of a pure democracy where the majority gets what they want and the minority remains at a disadvantage (Dryzek & Dunleavy, 2009). This is exactly what happened during the mid-term elections. The important factor that stood out in this mid-term election is the culture wars.

The mid-term elections are divided into two categories. The House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of Representatives holds four hundred and thirty-five seats and serves for two years. The Senate is valid for six-year terms and holds thirty-five seats (Kilbride & Howard, 1100). The mid-term elections take place every four years. This will help determine Donald Trump’s success as a president. The Results show that Donald Trump is, in fact, failing as a president. America is clearly divided into pro-trump voters and those who want Trump to resign (Leslie Vinjamuri)

Neo-pluralism clearly did not take place during the elections when Trump was elected. In actuality, the ideas that Donald Trump had and still abides by them, were against multi-culturalism, in fact, he still wants to build a wall around the U.S. border between North America and Mexico. This was also evident when Trump introduced the pushback of mainly Syrian refugees and rejected visas that were coming from mainly Latin America and Africa. Some Americans were happy as they understood how Donald Trump is keeping his promises to reject the idea of multiculturalism.

The Elite theory is believed to have been founded by Weber as he came up with the domination and power theory. (Matias López, 2013). Pareto (1935) compared the elites to lions and foxes. “The lions were domination by force and the foxes were domination by skill and persuasion” (Matias López, 2013; pg. 2) the elite theory states that only a small group of people will have power. This results in no power to the people, therefore, the authority will be given to the same small amount of people, the elites (Matias López, 2013). Today elites can practically come from anywhere, however, they should possess the right resources to rise to power (Matias López, 2013). The elites will come together so as they become untouchable (Matias López, 2013). This was happening when Donald Trump and his administration were elected. It also happened when Trump proposed the idea of immigration visas and the Mexican wall, many protested but at the end of the day, this was down to Donald Trump and his elites.

What happened next, is how the result was shaped during the mid-term elections. Celebrities started to tweet how wrong this is. Many of them reminded Americans how most Americans are not native and their ancestors were refugees to find a better life just like today`s refugees. Many people were pointing out how ironic Donald Trump is as his wife is an immigrant. People started to raise questions and accuse the president of being racist.

Apart from this, the former president of the United States of America; Barack Obama, took the opportunity to warn all citizens how dangerous the situation has gotten (Amanda Vinicky, 2018). He spoke about how Trump and his elite party are brainwashing people and as a result, people are not seeing the whole truth which will give more power to the elites (Amanda Vinicky, 2018)

“Demagogues promise simple fixes to complex problems they’ll promise to fight for the little guy, even as they cater to the wealthiest and most powerful. They’ll promise to clean up corruption and then plunder away. They start undermining norms that ensure accountability and try to change the rules to entrench their power further. And they appeal to racial nationalism that’s barely veiled if veiled at all” (Barack Obama as in Amanda Vinicky, 2018)

Educating American citizens is the best way to shape a fair vote and accept diversity rather than a totalitarian mentality. This means that Americans will be more in touch with reality when discussing issues such as immigration. Research would boost up the system as Americans would stand up to racist and discriminatory statements made by the president. For instance, in Sweden, the education system gives importance to politics and for this reason, Swedish people have the best democratic system as the people have mostly all the power in their hands to vote off someone from the political party that they feel is doing wrong. (Karl-Oskar Lindgren, Sven Oskarsson, & Christopher T. Dawes, 2017)

Looking at Neo-Pluralism is ideal for Americans as this will help them to improve conflicts (Annual Lectures from the Global Centre for Pluralism, 2017). In the sense that, Americans are not educated enough about the system and world politics, this affects them in the way they vote and shape their minds about certain issues. Donald Trump was successful in brainwashing Americans through media and speeches into believing that America is at stake and he promised to make America great again. As a result, some citizens put their trust in him and therefore this started a controversy as people started to favor racism over peace.

Neo-Pluralism will build peace between people as it is a way of broadening boundaries to allow more diversity in a country and in people`s mentality (Annual Lectures from the Global Centre for Pluralism, 2017). A good example of a country in which Neo-Pluralism worked out perfectly is Canada. In Canada, many citizens who come from different classes, and sub-cultures, speak different languages, and practice different religions are happy to live together (Richmond, 1969).

When one analyses the result of the mid-term elections in America, the first thing that is evident is that Donald Trump is not doing well as a president and this might be the case because of his lack of empathy and understanding with immigrants. This shows that Democrats won the most seats in the House of Representatives. This means that Trump’s ideas are now being challenged by the Democrats and they are ready to go after him and take control meanwhile the Republicans will do their utmost to protect the president. The Democrats want to be as different as possible by having young fresh faces. They will now have the power to block all domestic agenda. This includes restricting him from building the wall between the Mexican and the U.S. border and many more discriminatory actions from Trump`s side. (Amy Pope, 2018). Robert Dahl published Pluralist Democracy in the United States in 1967 (Manley, 1983). Dahl spoke about the assets of a pluralist democracy. He emphasized the fact that it would highly represent the citizens. He also stated that issues will be dealt with; with more realistic views.

The 2018 mid-yearly elections welcomed many first Muslim, black, Native American, and Gay elected candidates. This shows that America is moving towards progression and is open to diversity. This means that they are accepting the ideology of Neo-Pluralism. One can observe how in the mid-yearly elections citizens wanted people who could actually represent them in Congress. Another factor is that women wanted to vote against Donald Trump as he created a family separation crisis mainly because of the border and visa issues. This reflects that Americans had enough of elites representing them, therefore their sudden realization of change had a huge impact on the results.

More women and minorities were elected to the House and in Congress (Houck, 2018). Democrat Sharice Davids and Deb Haaland are the first Native Americans to make it to power (Houck, 2018). Sharice Davids and Jared Polis (Colorado) are the first openly gay persons to be elected. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib are the first Muslim women to be serving for the first time. South Dakota has elected Kristi Noemi as the first ever black woman to govern (Houck, 2018). As terror attacks took place in 2001 the opportunities for Muslims to participate in elections declined. Americans were furious and wanted nothing to do with them, they were opting to ban all Muslims from coming to the country, and therefore, discrimination between Muslims and Americans has increased. This changed during the mid-term elections in 2018 as Florida elected the first Iranian-American lawmakers to the legislation. Ilhan Omar is a thirty-year-old woman who was a refugee and immigrated to America in her teenage years (Houck, 2018). Ilhan Omar will also be the first woman who wear a hijab in Congress (Bostock, 2019)

The first Latina women; Veronica Escobar and Sylvia Garcia were elected in Texas. In Houston, Sylvia Garcia a Democratic state senator one 75% of the vote, and Escobar won 68% of the vote in Texas (Bostock, 2019).

This is creating more role models for youngsters today, as many people from different backgrounds have risen to power. Young people coming from minority backgrounds can now look up to them and as a result, America will see different people rising in politics. “America wants to elect candidates who actually look like the people they’re representing” (Nelson, 2018). Deb Haaland and Sharice Davids will be fighting for native Americans to be heard more and involve themselves in politics as they promise to represent them and defend crucial issues such as the environment and health care (Houck, 2018). They also emphasize giving importance to the tribes and they look forward to seeing people from the tribes winning seats in parliament (Houck, 2018). This will automatically include diversity and the idea of neo-pluralism in the parliament.

Change is visible as “two hundred and seventy-two of nine hundred sixty-four candidates are women. Two hundred and sixteen are Hispanic, Native American, Multi-racial, and black. Twenty-six of the candidates identify as bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender” (Lai, Lu, Lerer, & Griggs, 2018). The mid-term 2018 had the least white male candidates in the past four elections with only 58% (Lai, Lu, Lerer, & Griggs, 2018). This confirms Dahl`s statement on how people will not want elite people only in parliament and politics.

This means the power to the people. In the sense that this will give the people a huge advantage as the people that they elected are going to fight Trump`s elite ideologies. These include protection for LGBTIQ, legalization of medical marijuana, broadened voting rights, and fighting for equal pay and free health care (Francisco, Jessica Glenza Julia Carrie Wong in San, 2018).

Liberals are most likely to take control of the whole Congress by 2020. Trump and his administration will most probably face investigation by the Democrats following many accusations which never been dealt with (Anthony Zurcher, 2018). It might affect Trump as a president as the Democrats have the power to vote off Donald Trump as the president of the United States (Anthony Zurcher, 2018).

Neo-Pluralism also deals with the economy of the country. As the Democrats won the majority of the house, this means that there is a higher risk of the government shutting down (John Schoen, 2018). This might happen if President Donald Trump chooses not to negotiate with Democrats during his decisions in the economy (John Schoen, 2018). This will create a huge imbalance in the government. Therefore, this leads to the government shutdown (John Schoen, 2018). The Economy of the United States will not be entirely in control of Donald Trump (John Schoen, 2018). Democrats oppose big time the idea of building a wall around the borders of the United States and Mexico, therefore this might be a factor that would save the economy. This is due to the fact that this wall is going to cost America a fortune and many people are opposing this ideology (John Schoen, 2018). If the Democrats take control of the trades they might also put a balance on the economy (John Schoen, 2018). However, if Donald Trump continues with high trade then the economy will decrease. Democrats want to aim for affordable deals with Donald Trump to help boost the economy (John Schoen, 2018). Donald Trump was going to introduce tax cuts to the middle class. This is highly disagreed with, as this will be extremely difficult to pass as this was only beneficial for wealthy and elite people. “China, Europe, Canada, and Mexico will be watching to see how this defeat will affect the trade dispute he has fuelled” (Dominic Rushe, 2018).

Trump will also be opposed to his migration, healthcare, and climate change views. As mentioned before, the Democrats will do anything possible to prevent Trump from building the wall between Mexico and the U.S. border. They would like to restore the protections and rights for undocumented immigrants, especially those coming from Latin America and Africa. Restoring protections and fighting for their rights will result in a pluralist government and society. Therefore, peace and conflicts will be dealt with.

To sum up, this mid-term election of 2018 made some history in the United States of America. That being said, it also confirms the Neo-pluralist theory in many ways. First of all, Donald Trump is seen as an elite through the American`s eyes and also foreigners. This idea of elitism was getting people`s attention that something was wrong. When good use of social media outbreak from the news and celebrities reported what was the actual truth about Trump`s suggestion, people started to stand up. Many protests were carried out in the streets. However, the most effective way people have shown their rebellious side and also stood up to their president is by voting against him. In addition to this, they did not only vote against their president, but they also voted for diversity, they voted for a difference, they voted for people who represent diversity, and they stood up for the elite. People are fed up with the corruption and elites benefiting from this. People started to realize how treating other people who were in need was affecting the citizens too. Democrats will hopefully take a stand to Trump`s allegations on the economy, immigration, visas, and healthcare. The former president of the United States, Barack Obama did not hold back from criticizing Donald Trump`s elite party and warning people against the system. Finally, People like Barack Obama are extremely influential, this is because people will stop and listen to what he has to say as of course former President Obama is a powerful and influential person and people look up to him.

For as long as President Trump has been president, immigration to this country has absurdly increased and has become a controversy amongst many politicians and citizens. A state of emergency was placed because the United States was threatened by the invasion of illegal immigrants. The president used this threat as a way to make more tariffs on Mexico if they didn’t act out and come up with a solution to stop this border crisis. According to President Donald Trump’s statement “Statement from the President Regarding Emergency Measures to Address the Border Crisis.” Trump explains how this situation would affect the country and its citizens and the way it will affect relations with Mexico. He states, “Mexico’s passive cooperation in allowing this mass incursion constitutes an emergency and extraordinary threat to the national security and economy of the United States”. (Trump 2) Trump has seen this as a way to make Mexico guilty of such a threat and will make sure they are held responsible for whatever happens with the U.S.’s security and economy. The speech has persuasive devices to make sure that the audience receives the message and possibly takes the desired action. In this case, the speech is meant to persuade the Mexican government to stop illegal immigration, persuade the citizens, and show the horror behind illegal immigration.

Many people have concluded that such an invasion would’ve had effects in their lives and families in many ways, especially in the way that crime and drugs were involved. In reality, most of the crime and drug abuse in this country is coming from its own people but in a way find a reason to blame the immigrants. This is what Trump has told the American people about illegal immigration and tries to cover up the fact that this isn’t true. However, he indeed finds a reason to blame everything on immigration and he does so throughout his statement, continuously talking about the same topic but using different perspectives. In various parts, he mentions how people are welcomed legally but as soon as one steps foot here illegally he considers them “gang members, smugglers, human traffickers,” he then proceeds to talk about how these problems affect the economy. Trump not only wants Mexico to solve this problem but also wants it to take measures and offer shelter for those who are coming from Central America. He states, “Over the years, Mexico has made massive amounts of money in its dealings with the U.S., and this includes a tremendous number of jobs leaving our country”. (Trump 6) With such a percentage of immigration, Mexico has many jobs to offer those who are seeking to come into the U.S., meaning that both Mexico and the U.S. have the same opportunities for these people and don’t have to come into this country for a better life, bettering life conditions and hurting the economy. Justification hasn’t been made as to why Trump is making this whole situation a Mexico problem and expects them to stop the hundreds of people from coming any less far. He reasons that the U.S. has been a very helpful hand when Mexico was at its lowest point and now it’s time for Mexico to pay back the favor and the way of doing so is by preventing immigration.

For years, this country has relied on Mexico but now there seem to be numerous reasons as to why things are not being dealt with like before. The main reason that this is occurring is the border crisis on the Southern border of the U.S. This crisis is tensing relations with the Mexican and U.S. governments by Trump threatening to raise the tariffs if there is no instant action. Trump makes it clear to the American people that if there is no action, he will make sure that Mexico pays for everything that will relate to the immigration situation. Not only does he address this to his fellow Americans but the Mexican government:

Similarly, if Mexico still has not taken action to dramatically reduce or eliminate the number of illegal aliens crossing its territory into the United States, tariffs will be increased to 15 percent on August 1, 2019, to 20 percent on September 1, 2019, and 25 percent on October 1, 2019. (Trump 5)

Trump makes it clear to Mexico that tariffs will increase every time that illegal immigrants are crossing and making their way to the U.S. His words don’t make this as convincing as he tries to make it seem, instead, it makes it look like an idea Trump just threw in his statement. As well with the name-calling, he says illegal aliens as if these people aren’t people.

Thousands of dollars have been invested in this country’s security and law-making but none of it seems to be effective. Trump says that this crisis is a calamity that may not have a solution any time soon, meaning the border is unsecured. However, he also makes it sound like the calamity isn’t immigration, instead, it’s him with his outrageous comments making his supporters a threat to others by their violent actions. Nonetheless, he blames the Democrats too, by stating, “Democrats in Congress are fully aware of this horrible situation and yet refuse to help in any way, shape, or form”. (Trump 8) The immigration situation is causing both Democrats and Republicans to have contrary ideas as to how this can be resolved. It is making many people in Congress rethink their beliefs on illegal immigration and not have any ideas of how to come up with solutions. Countless times President Trump calls out the Democrats for not fully doing their job right and for accepting the idea that these immigrants come here illegally instead of agreeing with him.

The outrageous death numbers are increasing every hour since these people are stuck in the Southern border. These people are risking their lives by coming here but don’t think of what they will have to deal with as soon as they reach the border. It is said that one of the main reasons that many die along the way is because of the coyotes and cartels who fool them, making them think they have easy access to the country. However, is any of this true? Trump is not quite the person to be saying facts rather he is just blurting out what he believes will make the immigration situation look threatening. For example, Trump states, “For decades, the United States has suffered the severe and dangerous consequences of illegal immigration” (3). He isn’t going based on facts that are true instead he goes at random statements which in a way many people will believe it’s true because illegal immigration hasn’t always been going on for decades. The idea is to make immigrants a dangerous object for citizens to agree with.

Logos is another undisputed persuasive device that authors use. The speaker relies on facts and data to arrive at conclusions. The speech uses logic to show how serious the matter is. For example, Trump says, “From a safety, national security, military, economic, and humanitarian standpoint, we cannot allow this grave disaster to continue.” (3) This is a fact that the audience cannot deny. The author also goes ahead and says, “Billions of dollars are made, and countless lives are ruined, by these ruthless and merciless criminal organizations.” (Trump 7)He has used logos so effectively that the audience, which is the Mexican government, in this case, can see clearly, there is a need to address the issue.

Trump also uses pathos to evoke the emotions of the citizens of the United States of America in order to seek their support. For instance, he says, “Gang members, smugglers, human traffickers, and illegal drugs and narcotics of all kinds are pouring across the Southern Border and directly into our communities.” This sentence is not only intended to convince the Mexican government but also, to inform the American citizens that they are directly and severely affected. Note how he uses ‘our’ in that sentence. This implies that every American citizen can feel the impact and probably get emotional about the situation. The speech successfully utilizes the use of pathos because the speaker aims to appeal to the emotions of both the Mexican government and the Americans, and the words that he uses achieve this goal.

Like pathos, Trump’s ethos appeal is to show concern throughout the whole statement, as if the country was in danger of something foreign and dangerous. Leaving his audience with a thought of what the country is dealing with the consequences it’s suffering as of today and how it will suffer later on if there is no quick action. He doesn’t establish as many credible sources but instead, he goes based on ideas he has come up with suggestions that he is just doing this to add more fame to his name. Credibility isn’t one of Trump’s top resources since most of his comments aren’t ideological and are just based on beliefs. Trump also demonstrates his ignorance when he mentions that this country has always been the “piggy bank” and countries are constantly asking for money when in reality the U.S. is the only country with the most debt. However, he intends to objectify immigrants and their effect on this economy, how it will affect relations amongst all citizens, and moreover, ruin his reputation as a president.

Diction is different from the use of language in that while language refers to all the words used, diction is the use of words in a specific way. The essay uses denotative words in that every word used is used to mean exactly that. It is also important to note that the speech contains tough words like alien, illegal disaster, overwhelmingly et cetera. These words affect how the audience receives the message. On that note, Trump has used diction effectively in this speech to make sure that the message is delivered, precisely, and clearly and that it facilitates a particular reaction once the audience receives the message. Trump, for example, uses simple and straightforward language to make sure that the common American citizens understand his message clearly. In other words, trump uses concrete language with no colloquialism or hard jargon. Moreover, he uses formal language since it is a universally accepted language.

Illegal immigration affects the United States in many ways. It is for this reason that Trump gives this statement and declares that he will do anything under his power to make sure that illegal immigration through the Mexican-American border has stopped. As seen above, trump uses various rhetoric and persuasive devices to make sure that he presents his argument clearly and persuasively.

Donald Trump’s “Fake News” Propaganda Campaign 

“…but no one was interested in the facts. They preferred the invention because this invention expressed and corroborated their hates and fears so perfectly.” (Baldwin, 1955), and without a doubt, that is what President Trump has done since the start of his presidential campaign. Ever since Mr. Donald Trump announced his run for the United States Presidency, he has intelligently used the fears of the American people and on the way created new ones for his benefit by the application of several different tactics but more especially by the use of authoritarian propaganda such as the use of “Fake News. Now, while there might be some truth behind Trump’s authoritarian “Fake News” propaganda, it is important to note that Mr. Trump has harmed the good reputation and demeaned the media by calling it evil journalism and “the enemy of the people” through the use of “Fake News” propaganda for his political terms.

It is important to start by defining what is authoritarian propaganda when the term “Fake News” was invented, and how it became a slogan for Trump’s political campaign and presidency. According to Jason Stanley, “Authoritarian propaganda is a form of communication in which a leader concocts a fiction that offers a narrative explaining why the problems that trouble whole groups of people have a simple origin and even a simple solution; not only that but it sets up the leader as the only origin of truth” (Stanley, 2016). Having that said, what better example of authoritarian propaganda than Trump’s use of “Fake News”?

But what is fake news? According to Webwise.ie ”Fake News” is news, stories, or deceptions created to intentionally mislead or deceive readers. Commonly, these narratives are designed to either influence people’s views, push a political agenda, or create confusion and can often be a lucrative business. (‘Fake News,’ 2018). While Trump might lead us to believe that he invented the term “Fake News”, in reality, Craig Silverman, BuzzFeed News Media editor was the individual who popularized the concept back in 2014 when he began to come across websites that were formulated to look like real news websites but the content on them was false. It was not until January 2017 that Donald Trump did a press conference and called the media outlet CNN “Fake News” for the very first time. Following this conference, Trump managed to average more than daily use of the expression “Fake News” in his tweets during his first year in office, and while his approach of the word “fake” was used to such subjects as the Russian dossier, it was almost constantly aimed at the news media as an offense.

But why the media? Why is Trump so adamant to discredit the press? According to Lesley Stahl who is a veteran correspondent for the CBS Network, President Donald Trump once told her that he deliberately uses the phrase “Fake News” to deflect from and discredit, negative media coverage of his presidency. (Hasan, 2018, para. 3) With the previous information given, it is safe to say that Mr. Trump’s use of “Fake News” is practiced as impairing propaganda that enables him to undermine both the accusation and the likelihood of the accuser.

In Conclusion, the use of the word “fake news” has become a weapon for Donald Trump to win arguments through language. By undermining and demeaning the media, Trump puts the journalists in a place of disbelief whenever they are presenting news to the nation that he does not concur with or puts his administration and political ideas in a place of attack. Trump has shown everyone he can build a whole presidency around provocation and authoritarian propaganda by manipulating the media into swarming him with negative coverage and looking like he is the enemy and then running against the media at the same time he is discrediting it to his followers. Trump has shown that he can shut down high competitors, challengers, and opponents by being so outrageous that he simply denies them the oxygen of media coverage.  

After declaring that he would keep running for the United States presidency in June 2015, Donald Trump made a statement that he would build a wall on the southern border. According to CBC News (2018), he said ‘I will build a great wall on our southern border and I’ll have Mexico pay for that wall’ (Mahboob, 2018). As per a report in Forbes, the idea behind Trump making this statement comes from political consultation to gain more public influence ( Anderson, 2019).

Mr. Trump’s Plans, Budget estimations, and the height of the proposed wall have been changing ever since 2014. It all started on August 5, 2014, with a simple tweet by President Trump, SECURE THE BORDER! BUILD A WALL! Trump’s estimates for building a wall grew from $4 billion to $20 billion in 4 years (Nixon and Qui, 2018).

Building a wall and President Trump’s ever-evolving comments on it have made it a debatable issue that has become the reason for the ‘shutdown’ of the government in the US.

Mexico and the US started sharing boundaries in 1821 when Mexico gained independence from Spain. The border separating the two countries was formed in 1846 after the American-Mexican war. But the Border formed was virtual with few stone monuments marking the international boundary. This open border helped many immigrants to enter the US illegally. These illegal entries forced both Democrat and republican US presidents to enhance border security. Moreover, attacks in Washington and New York added to it (Contreras, 2018).

According to CBC Reports, out of 3145 kilometers of the US-Mexico Border, more than 1100 kilometers already had a fence when President Trump made his statement. The first physical fence between the two countries was built in 1990 in the San Diego region to control illegal immigration and drug smuggling. The Secure Fence Act was signed in 2006 by President George W. Bush to improve Border security. This Act gave authority to the government to use the power of eminent domain to condemn private property to secure its international boundaries. US Customs and Border Protection released some images in 2011 that proved that the type and structure of barrier used as the border between the US and Mexico differ depending upon the terrain and population of the region ( Mahboob, 2018).

Building a wall had been a trademark of Trump’s campaign. But the idea of building great and expensive walls has changed over time. In 2015, he made a statement to build 50 feet 50-foot-tall concrete wall made up of rebar and steel, which would cost from $4 billion to $7 billion and Mexico would pay for it. In late 2015, he explained that a wall is not required to be built along the entire border because some natural barriers already exist. In early 2016, the proposed height of the wall continuously varied between 35 feet, 40 feet, and 50 feet, but the cost of building a wall grew to $10 billion with emphasis laid on ‘Mexico will pay’. In June 2017, Mr. Trump envisioned a Solar-powered wall that would also help to create solar energy. Soon in July 2017, the idea changed to building a transparent wall to see through it. In January 2018, the height of the proposed wall was reduced to 32 feet, and the cost was raised to $18 billion with Mexico paying for it. In December 2018, Trump tweeted that he was not building a concrete wall but artistically designed 30-foot tall steel slats. Here he also insisted that not Mexico, but Taxpayers are going to fund the wall (Rabinowitz and Steckelberg, 2019)

Pew Research Center surveyed in January 2018 which reports that 60% of Americans opposed the idea of expanding the wall. The proportion that favors the idea of building the wall comprises senior citizens, white Americans, and less educated people. There are plenty of reasons that support the decision of 60% of Americans. But what made the rest 40% of Americans agree that they needed a wall?

The flow of undocumented Mexican immigrants is continuously increasing. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), 303,916 people entered the US illegally in 2017. President Donald Trump believes that the tall wall will control illegal entries in America.

Why do we disagree? DHS also reported that in 2017, more than 606,926 people who entered the US legally, by air or sea, overstayed their visas. Building the wall will not reduce illegal immigrants who

enter legally. The better solution is to have a reliable immigrant reform. So, the wall would not have a positive impact on the border, rather it would lead to more complications.

The Border would control the drug traffickers entering the US According to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), 39% of Heroin in the US comes through the US-Mexico Border. Mr. Trump says that the wall will help fight against drugs (Rodgers and Bailey, 2019).

Why do we disagree? DEA reports that although most of the Heroin comes from Mexico, the majority of it is smuggled through legal ports of entry by hiding it in privately owned vehicles. It is also trafficked in transportation trucks mixing with other goods (Rodgers and Bailey, 2019). Building a wall would not control drugs entering via legal ports.

The Border would not disturb the natural habitat and wildlife. A Customs and Border Protection Policy ensures that the “ agency will integrate environmental stewardship and sustainability practices into operations and activities.” This requires a deep investigation of the effects of building a wall on the environment and choosing substitutes that would be least destructive (Schwartz, 2019).

Why do we disagree? More than 2900 scientists signed the paper published in Journal Bioscience which claimed that the wall would “threaten some of the continent’s most biologically diverse regions.” It would impede the free movement of animals and will also affect plants. Also, since regions near the border are spots of ecotourism, the wall would destroy more than 4400 jobs and will cost tourism money (Schwartz, 2019).

President Trump’s statement about the construction of a 2000-mile wall across the US-Mexico Border is all based on illegal immigration and Border security. But it is being criticized due to the following reasons:

Wastage of Government Resources and Public Taxes The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported in February 2017 that the Border Wall Project would cost $21.6 billion. These construction costs do not include any maintenance expenses (Bier, 2017). The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that DHS is planning to spend Public Taxes without evaluating the operational costs and effectiveness of the Border Wall. GAO stressed that US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is using an inefficient methodology to enhance security at the border (Zazueta-Castro, 2018).

Ineffective way to control drug smuggling and illegal immigration USA Today presents the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data stating that 90% of Heroin, 88% of cocaine, 87% of methamphetamine, and 80% of fentanyl in the first 11 months of 2018 fiscal year was caught trying to be smuggled in at legal crossing points. Gil Kerlikowske, head of CBP says that Drug traffickers prefer busy ports to smuggle drugs into the US because of the high chances of success (Gomez, 2019). These statistics make it clear that open borders are not the reason for drugs in the US and the wall cannot tackle the problem of Drugs very efficiently.

DHS reported that almost 400,000 people were caught trying to cross the US-Mexican Border illegally in 2018 and more than 700,000 people who entered the US legally overstayed their visas in the same year (Rodgers and Bailey, 2019).

Therefore, people who entered the US legally and turned into illegal immigrants by overstaying their departure dates are almost double that of people who trying to cross the border illegally. This makes it evident that building a wall is not an effective way to control illegal immigration.

The Economic Downside President Trump has always insisted that Mexico will directly or indirectly pay for building a wall. But Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto refused to pay and hence, therefore canceled a meeting. Trump plans to tax America’s business with Mexico to force Mexico to pay for the wall, without realizing that if the US imposes a tax on Mexican imports, American consumers will cover it. Trump also plans to cut off the pay of Mexican Immigrants, which would be a direct slap on Mexicans working in the US (Bier, 2017). Chef and Famous TV personality, Anthony Bourdain says, “Since Americans don’t want to work, Building a wall and insulting Mexicans or deporting them would take away labor supply in agriculture and dairy industry” (Gonzalez, 2017).

Ecology Concerns The Outlined map of the construction of the wall shows that it would pass through the regions protected for Endangered species. The environmentalists argue that the project wall would cut off the National Butterfly Center and would displace rare wildlife (n.d. 2018). The National Wildlife Federation has warned saying that the creation of a wall is “one of the biggest potential ecological disasters of our time” (Schwartz, 2019).

According to Aljazeera, President Trump demanded $5.7 billion to fund the US-Mexico Wall. Democratic Party opposed the demand, which led to the ‘shutdown’ of the US government on December 21, 2018. This Shutdown lasted for 35 days, and on 25 January 2019, Trump declared that both parties had reached a deal to reopen the government for 3 weeks. This shutdown affected more than 8000 federal workers in nine different departments and seven federal agencies, including Agriculture, Commerce, Transportation, and Treasury. Services of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Immigration courts were also affected. Sharice Davids, Democratic Representative stated, “Shutdown has a direct effect on Native American Lives.” National Parks and Museums were also closed or had limited service (n.d. 2019).

There have been 21 shutdowns in the history of the US government. The current shutdown is the longest ever. There had been a 21-day long shutdown in December 1995 during the presidency of Bill Clinton, which is the second longest shutdown to date (n.d. 2019).

‘The Wall’ has been a hallmark of Mr. Donald Trump’s election campaign since 2014. His dreams of making impenetrable, tall, powerful, and beautiful physical walls have always been in the limelight, but his promises to make Mexico pay for it have faded over four years. Mr. Trump is firm on his decision to build a wall across the US-Mexico Border and is turning a blind eye to the harmful impacts of Project Wall.

Mexico is not only a neighbor but also a trading partner of the US. Building a wall would hurt the interdependency of the US and Mexican economies. It would weaken the Free Trade Agreements such as NAFTA. It would create Cultural Divisions (Puente, 2016).

Statistics from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) make it very clear that a wall is not the most effective way of enhancing Border Security.

Building a wall across the border sends an offensive message i.e. ‘ Stay out’. It reminds Mexicans of their lost territories which arouses the feeling of Nationalism in their hearts. It is a slap on Mexicans working in the US. It is an indirect way to weaken the US and Mexican economies.

According to BBC, Senator Schumer (Democratic Party) argues that the Statue of Liberty, which is also known as the Immigrant’s Statue is a better symbol for America. She states that the statue is seen as a sign of hope and welcomes immigrants. She remarked, “We want the Statue of Liberty and not the wall as a symbol of America” (n.d. 2019).

References

1. Al Jazeera. (2019, January 25). US gov’t shutdown: How long? Who is affected? Why did it begin? Retrieved March 16, 2019, from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/gov-shutdown-long-affected-190107150120233.html
2. Anderson, S. (2019, January 10). Where The Idea For Donald Trump’s Wall Came From. Retrieved March 16, 2019, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/stuartanderson/2019/01/04/where-the-idea-for-donald-trumps-wall-came-from/
3. Gomez, A. (2019, January 16). Fact-checking Trump officials: Most drugs enter the US through legal ports of entry, not vast, open borders. Retrieved March 16, 2019, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/01/16/fact-check-mike-pence-donald-trump-drugs-crossing-southern-border-wall/2591279002/
4. González, D. (2017, January 27). 4 reasons Mexico hates President Donald Trump’s border wall. Retrieved March 16, 2019, from https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/border-issues/2017/01/27/4-reasons-mexico-hates-president-donald-trumps-border-wall/97102022/
5. History of the U.S. – Mexico border. (2018, June 25). Retrieved March 16, 2019, from https://america.cgtn.com/2018/06/25/history-of-the-u-s-mexico-border
6. Holpuch, A. (2019, January 15). What exactly is Trump’s border wall and why does he want $5.7bn for it? Retrieved March 16, 2019, from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/15/trump-mexico-border-wall-status-migrants
7. Merchant, N., & Long, C. (2018, December 19). What’s the status of Trump’s U.S.-Mexico border wall? Retrieved March 16, 2019, from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/whats-the-status-of-trumps-u-s-mexico-border-wall
8. Nixon, R., & Qiu, L. (2018, January 19). Trump’s Evolving Words on the Wall. Retrieved March 16, 2019, from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/18/us/politics/trump-border-wall-immigration.html
9. Puente, T. (2016, October 19). Understand Just How Harmful Donald Trump’s Wall Would Be. Retrieved March 16, 2019, from http://time.com/4509501/donald-trumps-border-wall/
10. R/AskTrumpSupporters – What do you think of the Cato Institute’s list of reasons why the wall won’t work? (n.d.). Retrieved March 16, 2019, from https://www.reddit.com/r/AskTrumpSupporters/comments/ac5i1o/what_do_you_think_of_the_cato_institutes_list_of/
11. Rodgers, L., & Bailey, D. (2019, March 06). Trump wall – all you need to know about the US border in seven charts. Retrieved March 16, 2019, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46824649
12. Schwartz, J. (2019, January 24). Why a Border Wall Could Mean Trouble for Wildlife. Retrieved March 16, 2019, from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/24/climate/border-wall-wildlife.html
13. Ten Things to Know About the U.S.-Mexico Border Barriers That Already Exist. (n.d.). Retrieved March 5, 2019, from https://www.cbc.ca/passionateeye/m_features/us-mexico-border-existing-barrier-things-to-know
14. US partial government shutdown becomes longest ever. (2019, January 12). Retrieved March 16, 2019, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46848435
15. Vucci, E., & Cbp. (n.d.). Government report: CBP wasting resources on border wall projects. Retrieved March 16, 2019, from https://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/valley/government-report-cbp-wasting-resources-on-border-wall-projects/article_fac388cc-e319-5285-98b6-ddd580498d94.html
16. Washington Post: Breaking News, World, US, DC News & Analysis. (n.d.). Retrieved March 16, 2019, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/
17. Why does Donald Trump want to build a wall? – CBBC Newsround. (n.d.). Retrieved March 16, 2019, from https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/46811167

Donald Trump has strong beliefs on how United States veterans should be treated and handled. He firmly believes that veterans are a top priority in our society, and should be respected and recognized. Since his presidential inauguration in 2016, Trump has notably decreased veteran unemployment and signed multiple acts regarding veterans’ safety and rights, one of which being the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act. This Act will create a safer and more comfortable environment for veterans when requesting disability benefits from Veterans Affairs. Another significant bill he has endorsed is the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Education Assistance Act, which helps veterans receive education benefits. This Act has supplied high-quality education and housing to thousands of veterans nationwide. Trump remains committed to providing the choicest services and benefits that our courageous veterans are entitled to. He believes that veterans are the heroic embodiment of America and deserve the best life that we can offer them.

As America approaches more conflict every day, it is crucial to our nation that our future leader needs to be able to handle defense situations in America. Therefore, Donald Trump is working tirelessly to make America a safer place for all citizens. Trump has significantly increased the defense budget since his election in 2016 and prioritized defeating terrorist organizations such as ISIS. He believes that a strong defense is essential for proper national security, and works continuously to expand our military forces. In 2018, Trump approved $700 billion into the Department of Defense to reconstruct the American military force, the highest amount ever seen by any President. He has also increased the pay for soldiers by 2.4%, the largest seen in almost a decade. Meanwhile, Trump has signed a Presidential Memorandum to utterly destroy ISIS and its territory in Iraq and Syria, which has proved to be highly effective. Nearly a third of ISIS’s land has been demolished since his inauguration in 2016. In all, Trump is endlessly dedicated to providing American citizens the safety they are entitled to, and he displays this through his relentless efforts toward a dominant defense.

Donald Trump believes that to protect our citizens, we must enforce laws on immigration in America. His ultimate plan is to create a wall around the Southern border to entirely prevent illegal immigration and smuggling. Through his wall, federal agents have taken hold of around a million pounds of narcotics smuggled across the border. The barrier protects American citizens and blocks potential threats from entering the United States. Trump has also launched the Office of Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) to support individuals affected by crimes committed by illegal aliens, as well as an executive order based around internal security. Both of these orders aim to protect the citizens of our nation from harm and danger. In FY 2017, ICE removed 226,117 illegal aliens, further preventing crime and smuggling from across the border. Trump believes that there is zero tolerance for criminal immigration and that it is a national crime that should be punished. Therefore, he opposes the ‘Catch-and-Release’ policy, once again believing that illegal aliens should be charged for their actions. Trump believes that if our nation wants to protect our people, we must put a stop to illegal immigration and smuggling.

Donald Trump strongly believes in strengthening the economy and increasing the number of jobs available to the average American. A notable bill he has signed is the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which has provided more than 4.8 million workers with increased wages and bonuses. This Act primarily benefits the average working citizen, granting tax cuts and raised earnings to those eligible. Additionally, Trump has reduced the unemployment rate to 3.8%, the lowest percentage seen in 19 years. This lowering rate is primarily due to his implementation of over 3 million jobs nationwide, providing millions of Americans with the ability to support their families financially. Trump has also endorsed the Reciprocal Trade Act, an act preventing unfair tariffs on American products. Previously, our nation has imposed tariffs on goods that are far lower in cost compared to what other countries impose. With this Act, the numbers will be less drastic, creating a fairer and freer trade environment for the average citizen. Donald Trump believes for our country to become wealthy and prosperous, we must shift our focus towards producing more jobs for Americans, as well as creating a more equitable trade environment for all.

Donald Trump is a firm believer in equal learning opportunities for all and enthusiastically displays this in his efforts regarding education. He is continuously fighting for school regulations that protect the learning individual. Since 2016, The Department of Education has already recognized and rescinded 600 useless regulations, creating a freer and safer environment for the average student. Trump also strongly believes in school vouchers: a system that would allow parents to choose between a private or public school education for their child, with the cost being covered by the state government. This way, every child, no matter their background, has access to quality private education where students can use their academic skills to the best of their ability. Trump passionately believes that parents should have the right to school choice and that the federal government has no right to interfere with education. To create a nation that is genuinely for the people, we must leave it up to parents to decide what is best for their children. Donald Trump believes just this; that every child should have an equal opportunity to be the best they can be, no matter their status or income.