This is an opinion piece, to share yours email xavier@hercampus.com!
Being forgotten is the worst feeling in the world. When someone is forgotten, they go through feelings of abandonment, helplessness, uncertainty of self, and an overall feeling of not fitting in with all that’s around them. These were the feelings that were being harbored inside of Rural America as they voted their self-appointed savior, Donald Trump, in as the 45th President of the United States of America. While those who are not too happy with this outcome have focused their energy on doing whatever it is that they can to remove President Trump from office, they are doing so without realizing that the same feelings that propelled Trump to his seat as President are the same feelings that propelled Obama to the same office 8 years prior. While Obama rallied the hearts and minds of Blacks, immigrants, homosexuals, and everyone else who felt underrepresented prior to his tenure as President, Trump was able to rally those of the working class men that feel as if they were left behind when Obama became President. In the span of 8 years, they saw more of their jobs disappear, and more people come in from other countries. To the Americans of Rural America, Obama was no savior; Obama was a destroyer of the values and ways of life so many of them had held dear for so much of their lives.
The market crash of 2008 left many Americans with no jobs, no money, and a lot of resentment for the government. Even though it happened under the watch of President Bush, the blame fell squarely with the newly elected President Obama. While the recession was dealt with, in a mildly impressive manner, at the end of it, a lot of jobs that were being held at the beginning of the recession were no longer available either because they went to someone more qualified, someone willing to work for less, or to cheaper overseas markets. This left many who had manufacturing jobs in particular, to take jobs that didn’t pay nearly enough to take care of one person let alone a family. Trump was able to harness this collected animosity by molding his campaign rhetoric for the purpose of galvanizing those that were enraged by what their government was allowing to happen on their watch. A particular piece of his campaign rhetoric, “Drain the swamp” was effective in getting his supporters to rally behind the idea of getting rid of the politicians that only think for themselves and replace them with even more champions, fashioned after the likeness of President Trump himself.
The promise of the American Dream has been the pull to many immigrants whether they came from countries less developed than America, are escaping a war or persecution, or if they simply wish to recreate for themselves what they have seen so many create for themselves on movies and TV shows. While it has been theorized that America might be too loose with its immigration policies, it has become a defining feature of our great nation. However, because of the loose policies, the number of immigrants that enter the country illegally has risen steadily every year. As more and more illegal immigrants come in, more and more menial jobs disappeared. Since most of these jobs do not require anything other than a work ethic, and since it is relatively easy to get paid under the table for below minimum wage, employers tended to take the option that meant they didn’t have to pay out as much while still operating at an optimal level. This leaves many lower class Americans without jobs that they are qualified for, which further fuels the feelings of animosity already festering within these ranks of Americans. Trump was able to use these feelings to his advantage by calling out the main culprits. By lambasting illegal Hispanics, he was able to sink his hooks further and further into the hearts of a side of America few wish to believe exist.
Donald J. Trump was able to secure his victory by doing something that Democrats in general, and most Republicans, seem to have trouble doing. He used the words of the people to unite them. Others before him have done it as well, albeit in a more tasteful way. Figures like Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, James Madison, W.E.B. Dubois, Betty Friedan and Victoria Woodhull; all men and women who were able to effectively speak to those whom they had pledged their lives to fight for. They were all figures who were able to listen to and understand the struggles of those who felt oppressed, belittled, or forgotten and promoted the most appropriate course of action in order to promote change for the betterment of society. While President Trump is able to use the plights of those he is fighting for to his advantage, his actions bring to mind comparisons with figures such as Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Fidel Castro and Kim Jong-Un. All effective leaders in their own right, but they led in a manner that was intolerant of the people they were charged with leading. While it is an exaggeration to label our new President as a dictator, it certainly isn’t too late to label him as an intolerant businessman who knows what to say to get what he wants.
Picture Source: 1