The Trump Phenomenon

Farhan Hoque
Published : 8 May 2016, 05:41 AM
Updated : 8 May 2016, 05:41 AM

He is brash and outspoken. He is confident and does not care about other's opinions. You may love or hate him, but you can't ignore him. Arguably, he is leading the most controversial and compelling political campaign in modern American history. You have probably heard his name already. Yes, it's none other than Donald J. Trump.

Donald J. Trump is running for the most powerful office in the world, the President of the United States of America. Generally, if we imagine the President of the United States, what do we think? May be a polite person, cautious in his speech. Personality may differ, but the common fact of public modesty and courtesy are the integral part of the Oval office. If we want to know Donald Trump, maybe we need to start from here.

Donald Trump doesn't talk like a 'Typical President'. He loves to create controversy, once saying about a protester, "I would like to punch him in the face". As a candidate, his policies are very dubious. These include: build a wall, keep the oil, ban muslims, deport illegals!

At the very outset, I want to clarify something. I am neither a Trump supporter nor a fan. I am curious about US politics. That's why I am following the contemporary issues.

Since his declaring candidacy back in June 2015, I have been following Trump campaigns closely.  Now he is in the final stage of the nomination process which may very easily end up with Trump being the ultimate nominee of the Republican Party. So, it's no surprise that everyone is talking about Mr. Trump.

Who is Donald Trump? Well, to put in plain language, Donald Trump is a billionaire, real estate magnate and developer. He is the son of Fred Trump, who made a fortune in the real estate business back in the early 60s. Donald Trump inherited the business and multiplied it manifolds. But it's not the real estate business that made him popular. It's a reality TV show called 'The Celebrity Apprentice' in NBC, which was hosted by Donald Trump. Millions of Americans watched the show for years after years. The reality show has made him one of the most well-known personalities in America.

But everything changed when he declared in June 2015 that he was running for the President. At first, hardly anyone took it seriously. Trump is not the typical President candidate. He is predominantly a businessman and TV celebrity. Moreover, there were more heavyweight candidates like Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, Rick Perry, Lindsey Graham and so on. Initially the media mocked Trump as a clown. But what started as a joke has become the most dramatic as well as exciting political campaign in contemporary history. The Trump campaign has drawn the attention of millions of Americans. Altercation among Trump supporters and protesters is a common scenario during campaign events.

In the United States, media plays a crucial role in the political process. Media want higher ratings, so that they can earn more revenue. Mr. Trump is well aware of this fact. In his bestselling book 'The Art of the Deal', he wrote, "The point is that if you are a little different, or a little outrageous, or if you do things that are bold or controversial, the press is going to write about you."  It's the same technique that he has been following from the inception of his campaign. His campaign speeches are full of reckless tirade and bombastic rhetoric. In addition, his campaigns are more like rock concerts than like a typical speech. He can easily say many things which a politician can't say. His supporters love the fact that he speaks his mind and does not use a politician's filter.  Trump always asserts that he is self-funding his campaign, so he is not controlled by special interests and lobbyists.

Controversy and Donald Trump are synonyms now. His controversies are too many to count. He has alleged that Mexico is deliberately sending rapists, criminals and drugs over the border. Following the terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California, he issued his most controversial remark ever. He proposed a temporary ban on 1.6 Billion Muslims entering the United States.

If you think that's all, you are wrong. He has continued feuds on Twitter with journalists, candidates, party stalwarts, senators, and so on. His constant promise to build a wall on the southern border of USA has been criticized by Pope Francis.

Clearly, these phenomena are unprecedented in recent American politics. While he has successfully branded himself as not 'politically correct', his raucous political campaign has fueled astounding amount of outcry and condemnation all around the world.

Let me present a particular example. John McCain is a war veteran who spent more than five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. People respect him as a war hero. But according to Trump, "He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured. OK?''

The more controversy he creates; the more popularity he gains. A New York Times study shows that Donald Trump has received close to 2 Billion dollars' worth of coverage by the USA Media for free. All other candidates combined hardly received a fraction of this amount.

While it has become inevitable that Donald Trump is becoming the Republican Party nominee for the upcoming election in November, racial tension has intensified all over the USA. Recently, a Bangladeshi student, studying in Wichita State University, has been assaulted by a Trump supporter. Day by day, immigrants and non-white people are becoming the victims of hate crimes by Trump supporters.

The international community is concerned about Trump's foreign policy, as he proposes that Japan and South Korea should have their own nuclear weapons to protect themselves against North Korea and China. He plans to build a wall which will be financed by Mexico. He wants to start a trade war with China, Japan and Vietnam. He plans to kill the family members of terrorists, a total violation of the Geneva Convention.

Now the burning question is: will Mr. Trump be the next President of the United States? If yes, what would happen? Does it mean the end of the world?

To tell the truth, only the American people have the perfect answer and we have to wait for them. But till then, I want to believe in Barack Obama's determination: "I continue to believe that Mr. Trump will not be the President of United States, because I have a lot of faith on the American people.''