In order to appeal to the working class, Donald Trump has attempted to portray himself as an anti-establishment outsider and a champion of the people. One way in which he does this is by criticizing lobbyists and the donor class, especially in the primaries where he would accuse the other candidates of being “bought off.” He insisted that his self-funding (disregarding the validity of this claim) of his campaign made him a servant only to his voters, and not to any special interests. An interesting use of language on this issue is his criticism of Clinton’s slogan “I’m with Her,” contrasting it by saying, “she says ‘I’m with Her,’ I say ‘I’m with you.’”
Another major issue with which Donald Trump addresses the working class is “free trade.” He frequently speaks out in favor of protectionism and against outsourcing, and criticizes free trade deals like NAFTA. In the first debate, he criticized Bill Clinton for NAFTA, saying that this caused a massive loss in American manufacturing jobs. One rhetorical device on this issue stood out – he seemed to approach the issue implying that because Bill Clinton is Hillary’s husband, she is somehow responsible for NAFTA, rather than quoting her advocating NAFTA on her own. He criticized her for calling the Trans-Pacific Partnership the “gold standard in free trade deals” and directly linked trade with outsourcing. He integrated a direct mention of Ohio and New England rather seamlessly, discussing protecting working class jobs and criticizing outsourcing, saying that Clinton is content with outsourcing while he is not. The mention of Ohio cleverly targets a swing state on a controversial issue.
As many politicians do, Trump has attempted to make the idea of “change” a key component of his campaign rhetoric. It is a simple and highly effective strategy. He criticized Clinton in the debates for being a part of the political system for “thirty years” while still not changing or accomplishing anything. This fits with his narrative as an outsider, which is an attempt to align himself with the working class.
Source videos of Trump’s quotes:
I think it is really interesting that he says he is anti-establishment, but ran as the Republican candidate. I also think it is very interesting how he says “I’m with you” but never brings up personal narratives of the people he is with, but it seems the working class does find him as a more attractive candidate. I agree with your comment about Trump’s rhetorical device of connecting Bill Clinton to NAFTA and then to Hillary Clinton and it is just very obvious (he does the same with Hillary and President Obama). But trade and outsourced jobs are what seem to be hot topics for the working class. You mentioned how Ohio is brought up, but it is not the only one…many rust belt states are mentioned or hints that that is his intended audience.