The Unconventional and Controversial Campaign of Donald Trump

Trump did not win the popular vote. However, he did win the electoral vote, which is why he won the election. Trump’s campaign was not at all common or ethical for most people. “Mr. Trump ran the most unconventional of political campaigns, but it turned out he knew better than all the experts.” (BBC) Trump had spent a lot of money on merchandise for his campaign, and while other candidates were focusing on door-to-door campaigns and “get-out-the-vote operations,” Trump focused on rallies. He was very bold in his statements and his promises. He would not back down from any of his ideas, opinions, statements, or promises. He would not admit defeat until he and everyone else knew that he had won.

In the general elections, Trump ended up with 306 electoral votes and 61,201,031 popular votes. Hillary Clinton ended up with 232 electoral votes and 62,523,126 popular votes. (Politico) The reason Trump had won more electoral votes while still losing the popular vote was that he had won large states such as Florida, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin by a very narrow margin. And Hillary Clinton had won other large states like California, Illinois, and New York by a fairly large amount of votes. Thus giving Clinton the lead on the popular votes. Clinton’s blue wall in the midwest had been the last hope for the democratic party after the toss-ups of the larger states, and it was close. These states had been strongly democratic for the last few years, and it was looking good for Clinton. However, Trump’s promises had been appealing more to the working-class, particularly white, and even more so to those who had not had a college education. (BBC)

Trump had a huge appeal to those who felt they were overlooked by the “establishment” as well. He spoke to the people who felt screwed over by the government and the economy and gave them hope that he would make a living in America better for them. Trump’s overall win had come from narrow wins in solidly red states. President Trump didn’t only have to run against Clinton. He faced off against people from his own party. He did not work with them, however. His victory may have even been part of his willingness to stand against members of his own party. His attitude towards the other republican candidates may have proven to the American citizens Mr. Trump’s independence.

Trump has made some statements in his time of being president that may seem ridiculous or even plain dumb. However, in his campaign, he made many promises that he, for the most part, has kept or is continually working on keeping. He was not afraid to put out his opinion, and his opinion upset many people. Trump was very bold both before and after his election. This strength of a leader appealed to many U.S. citizens. We need a leader that is bold and won’t back down. He stands behind his decisions even when he is backed into a corner, and he finds a way to win.

Trump’s probably biggest promise was the southern U.S. border wall. His intentions were for border security. However, many anti-trump people had tried to turn it on him by saying he was a racist and didn’t want the Mexicans in the U.S. Another Promise he had made was to lower taxes which he had done. Tax rates since Trump has been dropped and were able to be dropped because he has been able to provide more jobs. For people in the $500001+ when filing singly with Trump’s tax deductions, they are only paying 37%, while without them, they would be paying 39.6%. (Josephson)

During the elections, it seemed that nobody really liked either candidate, so a lot of votes were to keep the other person out of office. Trump had won over many Americans by promising to bring safety back to our country. An article from BBC news says, “He defies the normal metrics for success because his voters don’t so much support him for what he does as they adore him for what he’s against.” (BBC) He is gaining more and more supporters through what he is doing to help working-class American citizens.

Not to say President Trump hasn’t done anything good for the country. He has promised to lower taxes which he has. In fact, during Trump’s Presidency, nearly 5.5 trillion dollars in tax cuts, with nearly 60 percent going to families. (The White House) He has also brought more jobs into the U.S., boosting the economy and providing a better living for many American citizens. “There are now 3.8 million jobs created during the Trump presidency, putting the median monthly job creation move or less in line with that of the Obama administration.” (Goldstein) America is now producing more products for two quarters in a row for the first time in 3 years. “Third quarter GDP growth rate was 3.2 percent. Second quarter GDP growth rate was 3.1 percent.” (The White House)

Some statistics to help show how many jobs Trump has produced I found from the website “The White House” says, “The manufacturing Industry has created 159,000 jobs. The mining and logging industry has created 57,000 jobs. And thirteen states had reached record low unemployment rates.” (The White House) Not only is he creating more jobs for American citizens. He is providing more of a chance for people to get an education to get a higher-paying job. Trump had signed an executive order to expand apprenticeships. What this does is it provides a new process that will make it easier for businesses to create more apprenticeship openings without losing money.

In order to help working-class American citizens, President Trump is ending job-killing regulations. This means that for every new regulation, two of the old ones must be eliminated. The help this brings to working American citizens is really helping President Trump keep his supporters because these working-class citizens make up much of the American population, with that percentage growing more with the new jobs that President Trump is creating.

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