“Make America Great Again”
This phrase was coined by Ronald Reagan in 1980, and later trademarked by Donald J Trump just after the 2012 election. In 1980, it meant going back to a time when the world respected the United States for our powerful military. Today, we see it on signs in people’s yards and on those signature red caps. Now it is the slogan for the Trump Brand. It is a symbol of the revolution of our government and the end of the perpetual joke that is America.
This begs the question, when was America Great?
Donald Trump says America reached its peak at the turn of the 20th century “If you look back, it really was. There was a period of time when we were developing at the turn of the century which was a pretty wild time for this country… that machine was really based on entrepreneurship” Compared to the rest of the world, America was truly the superpower. But what about when you compare that to today?
In 1901, innovation was peaking and everyone worked: men, women and even children. Unfortunately, women did not have the right to own property. Women worked, but could not claim their earnings. Women did not get the right to vote until 1920, they had no say in the government.
Of course, this is not part of Trump’s plan to make America great again, but it does represent his audience and the people that deem him as a worthy presidential candidate.
Today women still wish to be valued in the workplace and in government. After a video was released of Trump saying sexually aggressive comments about women in 2005, a poll came out that showed that he would win the election, if only men voted.
Sadly, #RepealThe19th trended on twitter among Trump supporters upon seeing these polls. Trump’s team did not have any part in this trend, but does it reflect the Trump Brand? His response to the video stated “Anyone who knows me, knows these words do not reflect who I am.” However, his followers represent his brand and his idea of United States freedom.
The Donald Trump Brand started as an alternative to the classic American politician. He condemns anything politically correct and hopes to turn our system on its head. The beginning of his campaign was completely unscripted; he said what he wanted and didn’t care who he offended. The Trump Brand is selling the best America: America with the best policies, the best plans, and the best weapons. Does he believe women can play a role in the ‘best’ America?
He has been judging the physical appearances of women throughout his career, but it did not stop in his pursuit of the presidency. While criticizing his male opponents based on career history, policy, and their wives, Trump judged only female opponents on appearance. “Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?” This statement was made about Carly Fiorina, a major candidate for 2016 Republican primary.
He also discredited Hillary Clinton for her appearance: “Well, I just don’t think she has a presidential look, and you need a presidential look.” He has not ever said the reason they don’t have “Presidential Look” is because they are women, but he has never said that about a man. In the first presidential debate, Trump was asked what he meant by “presidential look” and his response was “She doesn’t have the look. She doesn’t have the stamina. I said she doesn’t have the stamina. And I don’t believe she does have the stamina. To be president of this country, you need tremendous stamina.” Though ironically in the second presidential debate he commended her for her for just that. “I will say this about Hillary. She doesn’t quit. She doesn’t give up. I respect that. I tell it like it is. She’s a fighter.”
The oval office isn’t the only office the Trumps don’t think women fit in. Donald Trump Jr. spoke on a radio show in 2013 about harassment in the workplace. “If you can’t handle some of the basic stuff that’s become a problem in the workforce today, then you don’t belong in the workforce. Like, you should go maybe teach kindergarten. I think it’s a respectable position. You can’t be negotiating billion-dollar deals if you can’t handle, like, you know.”
Donald Trump himself has had a history of discriminating against women in the workplace. In the second debate, just a few days after the leak of his tape, Trump said, “I have great respect for women. Nobody has more respect for women than I do,” but Trump has not shown much compassion for pregnant women in business, for example, in 2004 he called pregnancy an inconvenience to a business. He has tried to make his brand appeal to women, saying no one will protect women like Trump.
He has since come out with a plan to start paid maternity leave legislation as president. Trump’s plan is to give women who give birth 6 weeks paid from unemployment insurance, which is the money she would receive if she were to be laid off. This does not include fathers or parents who adopt. Since this plan does not apply to men, businesses would be incentivized to hire more men so they will not have to pay more in unemployment insurance.
Trump did not start #RepealThe19th, but it still has a negative effect on his typology. His followers represent his brand so the actions of his audience need to line up with his brand. To say that he didn’t make it up is true, but he does appeal to the group of supporters that started this message. In order to reinstate confidence in his women-loving values, it is necessary that he make it clear to his followers that they must stop supporting these archaic values.
IMC Hawks Blog 
I think this brings up an important awareness that Trump’s campaign really had become a brand. From the merchandise to the slogans and hashtags, Trump has been able to create a huge market of followers and get the most television screen-time than any other candidate in history. Even though he says he doesn’t support some of the things his followers have stated, such as the #repealthe19th, his actions never follow through with what he says. He says he respects women, but we have seen far too many instances of him doing just the opposite. I think this really hurts his ‘brand’ and makes him seem unreliable to people who do not support his campaign. I think if he followed through on the things he has said and did not contradict himself all the time then he could seem a bit more reputable.
This post put into words what my frustrations have been about his campaign. The question from many groups–women, minorities, etc.–is: do we have a place in Trump’s America? Personally, I don’t think any presidential candidate who says he “grabs ’em by the pu**y” understands what it takes to ‘make America great again.’ (Whatever that means.) Great post. Thanks for sharing.
Donald Trump says that he respects women, but I have seen no respect for women from his campaign. He has been accused of sexual assault, interrupted Hillary multiple times at every debate, and has repeatedly sexualized and demeaned women. He says that he will “Make America Great Again,” but you have to ask what that “Great” means and for whom.
First of all, this is a very interesting and factual article! I didn’t know most of these facts that are in here and might actually have some say when it comes to me and my vote for our next president.
Wow!!! First off, this is such an amazing representation of Trump’s campaign, and provides such great evidence of how Trump’s overall character and disrespect towards women. His disrespect is absolutely unacceptable and I sure hope that women take a stand against him and vote correctly. As for myself, I have 2 weeks to make a big decision before Election Day. My decision is composed of 2 important choices that I have narrowed down as a young female voter: my first choice is to vote for Hillary Clinton. The only reason I would choose to vote for her is because I believe anyone is better fit for president than Donald Trump. However, Hillary most certainly does not deserve to become our first female president. If she cannot hold the responsibility of securing something as simple as emails, how could America trust her to ever ensure safety in our country? These reasons lead me to my second alternative which is to just not vote at all this year. I hate to do not vote though, because as this particular blog post proves, women have really worked hard throughout history to earn the right to vote. I feel as though I would be disrespecting their efforts if I just didn’t vote. Strong women throughout history and today have proven that women are just as capable as men in America. With this being said, our first female president should be a woman who represents all of women’s hard work throughout history, and the proof that women can handle presidency. It is a shame that I am facing this decision since this is the first year that I am able to vote. Hopefully America and myself will make the right decision.
What I find remarkable about the fact that Donald Trump has made it this far in the Presidential election is that running for President of the United States was obviously never a consideration for his brand prior to these past few years. Most politicians are kept on a “short leash” in terms of what they are permitted to post on social media because they have always had to keep in mind what voters would be thinking of them. Elections or re-elections in the past have even been lost for viral videos of a slightly too enthusiastic exclamation at a rally (as was with Howard Dean in 2004). Yet, Trump has built a brand on rudeness and putting people down, as evident in his popular reality television show. It still amazes me that people can possibly think he is presidential in any form of the word just by looking at his childish tweets alone. It is not surprising to me that people loyal to his brand began the “Repeal the 19th” hashtag because they were simply mimicking the behavior he himself has exhibited. He is immature, sexist, and lacks the decorum to control his behavior for even a short debate broadcast all over the nation. The fact that his brand is doing so well is an embarrassment to America and the democracy we once fought so hard to obtain.
This is such an important issue to bring up about this candidate. Trump’s campaign has appealed to the audiences who are unhappy with the social progression in this country. I am so surprised that there is actually a movement to repeal the 19th amendment and I think this shows the unequal status of women in our society compared to men. There would never be a movement to repeal men’s votes because men never had to fight for the right to vote. As for women in the workplace, unlike what Trump’s son said, women have no reason to tolerate sexual harassment from their male coworkers. It is not that we cannot handle the workforce but we cannot handle men sexually preying on women 24/7, even while they are trying to make a living. Men in the workplace need to realize that there is no reason they should not respect their female coworkers the same way they will respect their male coworkers. Sadly, men normally do not listen to what women say in general so even if women have a great argument about why a man should not be allowed to harass a female coworker, that man is not going to listen.
This really shines a light on all reasons I can not stand this man. Actions have consequences. He may not have started #repealthe19th, but it is a domino affect. His words and his actions have created this. They have inspired his supporters to act this way. He has sculpted his brand to influence these behaviors, and it is disgusting. Women already are paid less then man, the idea of making it easier for businesses to discriminate hiring women just further puts us back. I literally had a female coworker of mine say that she “did not feel that it was a women’s place to be President.” This idea and Trump’s message just reverses feminism by 100 years…
Your post brings up a very important component about Donald Trump’s brand–his dueling care and carefree approaches to his brand. The information was well presented in regards to Trump’s tendency to say what he would like and then contradicting it in the future. It creates his own brand of being unclear. As a visual person, I did enjoy the pictures. Their inclusion did make me feel like the post was a bit long. Overall, I believe they added to rather than detracted from the information.
I’m going to attempt to be as unbiased as possible in discussing this article, although I really do have an unfavorable disposition towards Trump. That being said, you’re entirely right. Trump has created a brand that lacks in cohesiveness. This happened, from what I can tell, through fragmenting the republican base, and through comparisons of his past words and opinions to his current opinions. His brand has become a matter of dispute, with some saying that what he thinks are his current positions, and others saying his current statements are just meant to fool us. I’m not even sure if Trump himself could give us an accurate summary of his brand in relation to the presidency. Somehow, he has created a base that is so fragmented from what both Democrats and Republicans can conceive that he is losing both of them. I think the only reason he’s standing a chance is because Clinton is hated by his party almost as much as he is by Democrats.