By Josie Dudek, Guest Columnist.
In a country powered by wealth and fame, it’s no surprise that one of the wealthiest men in America, Donald Trump, is running to be the 45th President of the U.S. Taking a look at this election’s presidential candidates,the Republican Party stands out since a number of the candidates have an advantage through their money and power. My question is, did Trump’s well-known persona give him an upper hand in the election polls?
American media has a way of twisting words and stories to fit exactly what they want the public to hear, but one thing they can not change is what Trump himself says. His most famous line “You’re fired!” isn’t exactly what I’d think would motivate the American public to vote for him.
During the first GOP debate, Trump said that years ago he gave money to big corporations when they called him, so that years later he could guarantee that they’d be there for him in his time of need – this election.
He calls this a “broken system,” yet still uses it to his advantage. Other candidates, such as Bernie Sanders, did not get money from big corporations to give him credibility. It’s quite appalling to think the number one Republican candidate right now not only used his fame to get him ahead, but also his money.
It’s no secret that the media easily persuades their audiences to believe what they tell them, so when they put a well-known public figure up for election, it’s easy to portray him in a positive way, specifically to the upper class. The truth is, the upper class is not who candidates should be appealing to, but rather the middle and lower classes.
People like what they are familiar with and Trump is that for many Americans.
Now, don’t get me wrong, there are people who do know what Trump is truly about, and agree with him, but a lot of people have been blinded by his fame and his clever manipulation of the common public.
So what does this mean for the future election? Probably not much. At the end of the day, most people should be more educated on their vote than just someone’s social media status. It’s more or less Trump’s social media following that has given him a great amount of attention due to his easily made satirical celebrity status.
Young people especially, need to be smart about who they are giving their attention to and who they are posting about online. It’s one thing to talk about Trump in a facetious manner, but when jokes get him farther ahead in the polls than who the voters truly want to win, that is where the problem arises.
