As many topics throughout this election have become heated between the two presidential candidates we find trade to be one that is heavily discussed yet less likely to cause a huge feud like abortion and immigration do. As time has progressed and the election draws closer we can look at both candidates rhetoric on trade alone and decide for ourselves which candidate will win the independent or undecided vote.
We all know that dramatization plays a large role in campaigns, especially in the Trump campaign. Trump has promised to bring jobs back from over seas with a “7 point protectionist plan of action.” This is good. Trump has shown us he has a plan. Not only has Trump put out this plan but he has also made some dramatic promises dealing with trade if he were to become President. He claims he would give the secretary of commerce the job of finding every violation of trade agreements which are taking place by other countries, NAFTA is going to be renegotiated/revised, we will withdraw from the Trans Pacific Partnership and he will appoint the toughest and smartest trade negotiators, etc. Dramatic? Indeed. Trump is making these large promises because they appeal to the audience he is aiming at. It is clear he is only speaking to the his supporters, he is reaching no new audiences with these extreme conservative views. As the final debate focused a good deal on trade we saw no dissociation from Trump and these previous claims he made on trade. He continued with his talk of taking action against China for their wrong doings to the U.S. when it comes to trade. He was sure to reiterate that stronger tariffs and taxes would be weak punishment once he got ahold of China. This rhetoric is once again appealing to no one but the people who are already voting for him. In his final debate which was the perfect opportunity to turn his rhetoric around he continues with his same views which he has held from the beginning.
We will see no gain of support from new voters as long as Trump continues to discuss extreme plans of action like these.
Clintons rhetoric on this issue is not the total opposite but instead not as harsh and forward as Trump’s. In the wikileaks we see Clintons speech to a bank and she referred to open borders which many thought she meant open trade as well. Clinton corrected this in the last debate as saying she was referring to energy not trade. Whether or not this is true we see Clinton’s rhetoric on trade beats Trumps any day. She is doing a better job at appealing to voters who are undecided or independent. By not coming out with highly democratic plans Clinton is targeting those in the middle and appealing to them. While she opposes the Trans-Pacific Partnership she isn’t making threats to take extreme action on China or renegotiate NAFTA. Clinton said “There is a difference between getting tough on trade and starting trade wars.” Clinton was right and has once again portrayed herself as the level headed, stable candidate. Trump on the other hand continues his right winged rhetoric and is appealing to no audience other than the ones who already have his vote. His reckless rhetoric is very likely to cause a trade war if he were put in office.
It is clear Clinton does a much better job at speaking to undecided voters and the independents. As Dr. Adams said the independents will decide the election. It is a little late for Trump to take back all of his extreme plans of action but if he has any hope of winning he needs to bring his rhetoric down to a level not just the conservatives appeal to
I agree. I think that it is necessary for Trump to outline a concrete, solid and feasible plan for his presidency instead of just making harsh and aggressive claims. It is necessary for Trump to calm down the tone of his rhetoric in order to appeal to undecided voters.