As the “election” comes to an end tonight, millions of votes will be cast and the fate of America will be determined, the topic of Trump the businessman seems no where to be found. The rhetoric that has been flooding news and media outlets at the close of the election surrounds topics regarding sexism, email scandals, and immigration. It has been quite some time since a news story was picked up about
Trump University or his business savvy helping him avoid taxes. So, how helpful was the business background for Trump?

It made him who he is

For challengers choosing to run for president, they are not given the advantages that incumbents naturally possess with regards to how well the public knows them. Because of this, the surfacing stage of presidential campaigns is inherently important. Often times, the surfacing stage allows the public to get to know a politician, who they are, what they stand for, and why they should pay attention. For Donald Trump, the surfacing stage took on a whole new meaning.

His business background and television history had made him a household name before his political chapter began. This allowed much of the surfacing stage to be self-accomplished already. One main aspect of the surfacing stage that was fueled by his business background is developing expectations about a candidate’s style and determining main issues. As it was all much of the public knew about
Donald Trump, his business success and knowledge in the field defined his surfacing stage. Much of the discussion both before and during the primaries was his ability to provide an outside of politics view into the future of America. Many of his initial supporters foresaw successful business to be the key to fix the nation’s economy.

Did it matter?

By the end of any election, certain characteristics of candidates are often forgetten, looked over, and deemed insignificant or important in light of other issues. This can be said about Donald Trump  being a business tycoon. It has not been forgotten, but it simply stands as a basis for his initial ride into politics and garnering support from the very beginning. It was not the only reason, but it most certainly gave him. Does it help now? That will be decided by the voters at the end of this historic election day.

 

 

In a New York Time’s article, Donald Trump states “If I become president, I couldn’t care less about my company.” Trump made this statement in an attempt to convince voters that he will be commited to the office. he is trying to buil an ethos that has been systematically destroyed over these months, back up. Voters are questioninig whether he will actually be willing to step away from a decades worth of work that has given him billions in revenue, over a position that only may last 4 years? or is he trying to sway us into his corner and make us believe that his promise is true.

His ethos also tells us the opposite; and that from his previous businesses that have fallen, he has just kicked them to the curb and started up new projects. The problem with making the transition from businessman to president is that you cannot treat the Unites States like a business and if we begin to fail, drop us.

This second site, on Forbes, talks about all of his business failures and how Trump seems too just wither away from them when he seems that they are not fit to run anymore. This whole business aspect is ruining his ethos as a strong man who is supposed to be running our country. A Washington Post article also claimed that Trump hasn’t paid for a dime for campaigns. Stating “A Washington Post investigation revealed that none of the $102 million was Trump’s money – and the paper could only confirm one cash donation made by Trump between 2008 and May 2016 after contacting over 400 charities. Trump’s foundation also reportedly paid for obligations owed by his businesses, even though Trump has not kicked in a cent to his namesake nonprofit since 2008.”

At a time where there is no clear-cut favorite for a president, Donald Trump is showing us potential voters that he is not trustworthy; and that, sure he’s a billionaire but has not used any of his money for the purpose to run the country.

 

Donald Trump started gaining popularity at the beginning of the election because he was different. He was the non-politician, he was the outsider, he was the businessman.

Now, as everything comes to an end, it seems that what America first recognized as a positive thing could actually just be a horrible negative. Maybe what was so different about Trump wasn’t his business career, but actually the fact that he never wanted to be a politician at all. Donald Trump has a lot of notches on his belt, is this the next one? Every good businessman knows that it is important to be a little bit selfish when making decisions. Is this philosophy going to apply to Trump’s America?

Trump and his supporters have long argued that being a good businessman is a qualification for being a good president. That just because Trump is successful, he will be able to handle the most important job in the world. That just because Trump has casinos and hotels galore, he is the better choice than any candidate with past political record. Maybe it’s about time to question this. Why were we so fast to accept this train of thought?

Part of being a good businessman is being selfish, thinking of how to make more money, and not worrying about the people who will get the short end of the deal. How would this turn out for America if Trump ran our country the way he runs a business?

 

The rhetoric this entire election has been focused on Trump’s qualifications to be president. Maybe it boils down to the fact that being a good business man makes one a good business man, nothing more. Maybe the rhetoric should flip on it’s head, and in turn become a discussion about how being a business man like Trump actually disqualifies one for President.

In this election, there has been a lot of discussion pertaining special interests that both candidates may have outside of the US government. Clinton has recently come under fire (again) for alleged pay-for-play operations favoring those that make “charitable” donations to the Clinton Foundation. Trump’s outside interests, on the other hand, are inseparable from his self-praised corporate mastery; many of his investments are linked to foreign countries’ professional and political elite.

 

Although Trump’s business transactions are not new information, many are beginning to question whether or not his corporate affiliations will affect diplomacy between nations in the event of his election. Those who are concerned about his foreign relations cite the Scottish resort debacle (which led to him suing the Scottish government and effectively caused homeowners in the surrounding area to despise him) and the countless allegations of failed payments within the nation as indicators of his insolence. If these negative trends continue into his other business ventures, it could be incredibly bad for US operations, namely in high stress places places like Syria, where Trump and Turkey’s Dogan (who is responsible for attacking US backed Kurds forces) share assets in a media conglomerate. Are these corporate interests affecting Trump’s chances at the oval office?

 

Any answer to this question is obviously speculative. While some cite this as one of the factors in their hesitancy to side with Trump, the previous interactions that Trump has with foreign officials may be just a large an asset as they are a hindrance. I personally feel that, with most things that have potential positive and negative ramifications, the perception depends on the presentation. If Trump’s campaign were to address these points and attempt to frame them in a positive light, as an in and direct, healthy relationship with bureaucrats that could affect the future of the United States’ success, it could be a serious advantage. It especially could be seen as a leg up on Clinton, whose Benghazi foreign policy blunder has been dominating the media and haunted her campaign. Truth be told, however, this only way this will really come into play is if the investigation of the Clinton Foundation seriously incriminates her, which is unlikely to happen within the next five days.

 

In order to mobilize voters towards a candidate or towards a movement, an emotional connection must be established. Drew Westen, in his book The Political Brain, states that a message must be pitched at a level of generality that elicits an emotional resonance for people. Often times, the term “business” gives off a stone-slated, cold emotional palet. There is a common misconception that those who do well in business often do not care for other’s emotions and feelings, but rather care more for the profit and bottom line. Though this may be partially true, Trump has had to win over the American voters’ hearts by showing how his business record will benefit America’s heartland for the greater good.

A blunder

During the first debate, Clinton attacked Trump for the claim that he build his business on the backs of other people, the little people. In terms of emotional rhetoric, hearing the story Clinton described as Trump taking advantage of an architect and not paying him at the end of a hard days labor gave voters a reason to begin to doubt the integrity of the business record. We all strive for the American Dream; hearing a presidential candidate “stiff” workers in order to futher his career, business and profit strikes a chord in many voters, regardless of the fact that it is true or not.

The secret weapon

Trump, however, does have a secret weapon that naturally appeals to voter’s emotions. And that is his daughter, Ivanka. She is living proof that his business savvy can be taught and acheived by someone, through simpler and less extravagent means. As co-executive vice president with her two brothers, Ivanka naturally elicits emotion as a strong powerful, self-sustaining business women. Her business record itself is impressive. But she stands as a secret weapon to serve credibility to the record Donald Trump has built for himself. Her speech at the RNC, introducing her father as the Repubican nominee, gave her the credibility to stand as a pillar for his sucess. Even Hilary felt it necessary, during the 2nd debate, to give kudos to Trump for raising his kids to be someone to be proud of.

Since the beginning of the Trump-Clinton debate era, Donald Trump has taken advantage advantage of Junkyard Dog journalism in the media outlets. This type of journalism involves no-holds-bar attacking of an opponent to make sure that the world knows what is going on with them. This style of journalism is aggressive and has no line between what is public and private life. Especially with Clinton’s email deleting scandal. Trump has used this to keep the email scandal in the forefront of the conversation. Trump has crafted his argument in a way that uses logos because he is painting Clinton as a liar and an untrustworthy candidate.This argument also appeals to the pathos of voters because he is inciting fear into the populous.

These new allegations about his email scandal destroy his argument against Hillary, while simultaneously destroying his ethos as a trustworthy successful CEO. It’s ironic that after all the emphasis that he has put on Clinton’s email scandal that now, he has his own.

In the past, people have tried to hurt his ethos; such as the Trump U scandal, where the widow of an army vet was scammed. Taking the pension that was given to her from the US military and investing it into Trump University and getting nothing out of the program.

That as a business man has hurt his ethos. And the fact that he is targeting White, Christian voters, lying is a sin and in their eyes, he is no better than Hillary.

With the election being less than a few weeks away, hopefully Donals Trump can find himself another October surprise against Clinton the way that this one just hit him; if Trump has any thoughts on winning this iconic election.

 

 

 

Donald Trump’s business record is long debated, and discussed often. But many people do not fully comprehend just how much “business” Trump has dabbled in.

Trump’s empire includes a lot more than just real estate, hotels and casinos. There are also the golf courses, the modeling agency, the fragrance line, Trump Jets LLC, an American TV production company, Trump Ice ( a bottled water company), and the Trump Organization (includes ownership over Miss Universe, Miss USA, and Miss Teen USA pageants as well as home and clothing companies).

It is no secret that a portion of these business ventures have failed, and are no longer up and running. The fact remains however, that Trump does not have one niche; he is not rich from one particular thing. Instead, Donald Trump is listed as a trustee, president, chairman, or member for over 530 entities. 

So, what does this part of his business record mean for his role as a Presidential candidate? 

Looking at his past, there is an argument to be had this this election is less about winning/losing and more about just expanding his reach and exposure. Failure in previous ventures has not stopped Trump before.

A powerful narrative for the democrats to pick up would be the argument that Trump does not care about America, but rather just sees this election as another opportunity to put his name on something new.

 

 

If the Democrats could take this narrative and run with it, they could effectively undermine Trump’s own narrative that he cares about the country, and wants to “make it great again”. The rhetoric of Trump running for selfish motives, and not being fully invested in the future of the country could be enough to turn voters away from him.

With Hilary Clinton running this 2016 election as a symbolic imcumbent of the Obama adminstration, one can only assume that Donald Trump maintains the role of challenger against his opponent. Not only does he challenge the status quo of politics by calling himself an outsider and someone who can feed into new avenues of thought, but he is strictly playing (whether he knows it or not) by the rules of the ABCs of being a challenger.

Calling for Change 

Whether it is because of his constant claim to fame of being a strong businessman or his inability to connect himself to being a true politician, Trump uses these platforms to call for a change in the way America runs. Take his business savvy for example. Recent polls have Trump ahead in the percentage of voters that beleive in his economic plans over Hilary’s. The groundwork for this support has been developed and maintained by the storyline of Trump, the business. His proposal to run America like a business has given many voters hope in seeing extreme economic and personal financial growth. His “rags to riches” story contrasts with Hilary’s 30 years in politics.

Emphasizing Optimism for the Future

Not much sounds better in the minds of Americans that economic growth. With Trump running for president, the Trump Towers stand as a beacon of hope for the future. In this regard, Donald Trump did have to do much in order to persuade voters that he can be a beacon for success in America. His business storyline consistenly follows the theme of the American Dream as he attempts to align with voters by comparing his $1million dollar loan to the bare beginnings most Americans start with. His slogan, “Make America Great Again” is one of the best mottos a challenger could conduct his campaign with. It signifies optimism for the future by allowing voters to choose how he going to do it. The hopes are, the beleive in his business.

Donald J. Trump has been a multi-billionaire for some time now. Forbes has Trump making approximately 3.7 billon dollars. That is a lot of money and a lot of business decisions. It seems like he knows what he is doing, and what he plans on doing if he gets ahold of our nations

economy. From 1975 onward, Trump has been a very credible man and has been garnering a lot of ethos. In his first debate, he said

“my father gave me a very small loan in 1975, and I built it into a                 company that’s worth many, many billions of dollars, with some of             the greatest assets in the world, and I say that only because that’s               the kind of thinking that our country needs.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/09/26/the-first-trump-clinton-presidential-debate-transcript-annotated/

He believes that he has what it takes to bring this country back up to where it belongs, and a lot of Americans are backing him up.

Pathos also plays a big role in his first debate speech on CNN,  he states that he received a small loan from his father prior to investing in all his riches, so you could actually say that before all of the fame, Trump was dead broke. He gives the audience the rags to riches effect, in the sense that when he started building his dynasty, he had nothing. The “small” loan his father gave him was 1 million dollars but when you look at it, 1 million dollars is nothing compared to 4 billion. He literally made a dollar out of 15 cents.

His endurance and perseverance and drive shows that he has the tools and the necessary steps that it will take to get our country up and running like it should. Latest polls show that Trump is only trailing Clinton by 5 points (Business Insider) ; Last week he was trailing by double digits. It shows that more and more people are hopping on the Trump Train.

The third and final debate in the 2016 Presidential Election was arguably the most coherent debate of the series. Both parties raised legitimate concerns about the opposition while still maintaining a degree of dignity and composure. Trump accosted Clinton for her inability to bring about change over the last 30 years in regard to trade, her minority pandering, and her foreign policy blunders in the Middle East. In retaliation, Clinton attacked Trump’s tax cuts for the wealthy (calling them “trickle-down economics on steroids”), his disgusting attitude towards women, and, most notably (other than his declaration he may not accept the results of the election), the way in which he conducts his business.

 

The main points made by Clinton were that, in spite of Trump’s vehement opposition to exporting jobs and using foreign resources in production, Trump Inc. has shifted jobs to 12 different countries and uses Chinese steel in the production of many of their buildings. This was especially damning as this point was made directly after he expressed his desires to regulate trade in favor of US production.

The Rhetoric

Although many speculated that Clinton would refrain from an offensive during this debate, both came out swinging. The implication of Clinton’s ad hominem attack is more significant than one might think. The cornerstone of Trump’s economic strategy has been that he plans on bringing manufacturing jobs, namely auto-production jobs, back to the United States. When Clinton directly acknowledged that his business’ actions fail to live up to his own standard, a dissonance was created; the validity of his argument was impeded because his actions and his plans do not align.

 

The implications of this misalignment produce a lack of trust within (mostly undecided) voters’ minds. The apparent irony in a decline in Trump’s trustworthiness is that, throughout the campaign, he has attempted to frame Hillary as untrustworthy. Now, it appears, that Trump has put himself in a position where he is seen as unstable, untrustworthy, and unable to accept defeat.