Donald Trump: How Success Inevitably Led to Downfall
By dianpurdi41/Shutterstock.com
Par dianpurdi41/Shutterstock.com
Breanna Lakhan
(FR) Cette dissertation porte sur le comportement de Trump au pouvoir ainsi que ses propres intérêts politique qu’il place souvent au-dessus des intérêts du peuple américain, ce qui, en définitive, lui a porté préjudice lors des élections présidentielles de 2020. Il s’agit ici d’aborder ses décisions qui privilégient souvent ses intérêts personnels et qui renforcent son désir de polir son image personnelle. Au départ, cette conduite ne lui cause aucun désagrément, cependant c’est bien cela qui lui fera perdre des voix lors des dernières élections. Tout d’abord, Trump a tendance à prioriser certaines communautés américaines comparé à d’autres. Par exemple, il impose le « Muslim ban » à tous les voyageurs issus de pays musulmans recueillant ainsi du soutient parmi les américains blancs. Néanmoins, durant la pandémie de la COVID-19, ses décisions basées sur ses intérêts personnels ne s’avèrent pas être la bonne solution. En effet, au lieu d’aider la santé publique américaine pendant cette crise sanitaire, il préfére porter la faute sur les démocrates et perds ainsi des points. De plus, Trump priorise son image politique au milieu du chaos en Amérique. Après avoir séparé les enfants de leurs parents à la frontière sud des USA, il les emprisonne. Rapidement, en réponse à de sévères critiques, il se défend en exposant le fait que les cages étaient présentes lors du mandat d’Obama. Certains lui donnent raison, mais son image est définitivement ternie et il perd encore des partisans lorsqu’ il minimise les effets de la maladie après avoir attrapé la COVID-19. Ces méthodes qui débutèrent en sa faveur en temps de controverses, lui couteront les élections.
Many of Donald Trump’s supporters are drawn to his supposed authenticity, which sets him apart from other politicians. Trump’s personal views influenced policies during his term in office and factored into decisions regarding COVID-19. Donald Trump put his interests above American interests during the COVID-19 pandemic, as he did throughout his political career, ultimately leading to his loss in the 2020 presidential election.
During Trump’s early political career, he learned that prioritizing his personal interests above American interests is acceptable in policymaking. While campaigning for his 2016 presidential bid, Trump “called for barring all Muslims from entering the United States.”[1] Despite the controversy, this political move appealed to many white Americans.[2] Rather than promoting policies that would benefit as many Americans as possible, Trump promoted his interests in his policies. Trump’s self-interest-driven policy indicated that it is okay to put personal interests before American values of inclusion, such as the right to religion as stated in the constitution. This was one of the many instances within the Trump presidency that indicated that it is okay to only serve a certain subsect of Americans. Due to his success in his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump learned to put his personal beliefs first in all upcoming policy-making decisions at the expense of common American interests. He ultimately lost the 2020 election as a result of putting his personal interests above the needs of Americans.
Furthermore, Trump showed little interest in slowing the spread of COVID-19. For instance, he attempted to use COVID-19 for his political gain by suggesting that the virus is "[the democrat’s] new hoax”[3] rather than creating policies to slow its transmission. Trump had promoted his personal interests in the past regarding the Muslim ban, and this time is no different as his lack of initiative in creating COVID-19 related policies indicated his indifference regarding the pandemic. Nevertheless, one key mistake was made: in the past, his lack of interest regarding Muslim immigrants appealed to his white supporters. Now, a lack of interest in helping those suffering from the pandemic slashed his support. Many Trump supporters believed the virus is not serious,[4] however those who were at risk or became infected[5]learned that Trump’s policies would provide insufficient aid, costing him the support he needed to win the election. His belief that neglecting common American interests would work in his favour cost him the election because he could not foresee the virus affecting his supporting base.
Moreover, Trump put personal interests above American interests by lying to polish his image. For instance, he blamed the separation and caging of migrant children on Barack Obama’s administration.[6] He tweeted that “The cages for kids were built by the Obama Administration in 2014. He had the policy of child separation. I ended it even as I realized that more families would then come to the Border!”[7] Trump signed executive orders[8] allowing for children in cages at the U.S.-Mexican border and then denied his responsibility to protect his image. Trump signed executive orders which fit his personal beliefs about immigration in the U.S. and subsequently attempted to shift the blame to protect himself. Nevertheless, he lost the election because experiences like these teach him to focus on polishing his image as opposed to helping those in need. By neglecting a pandemic which directly interferes with the health of his supporters, Trump prioritized the maintenance of his image, which ultimately cost him the presidency.
Additionally, Trump’s second term aspirations took a hit when he was diagnosed with COVID-19. In an attempt to protect his image he tweeted that he was “…Feeling really good! Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life…I feel better than I did 20 years ago!”[9] He downplayed the virus’ severity. As opposed to using his diagnosis as a warning, Trump attempted to polish his image to maintain his support. In the past, not looking out for the American collective worked in his favour because his racism appealed to his base of white Americans. Nevertheless, COVID-19 can affect anyone; by ignoring the pandemic, Trump hurt his supporters, leading some to withdraw their support for him.[10]This ultimately costs Trump the election because his irresponsibility directly affected the health of Americans, many of which were his supporters.
Overall, Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election as a result of putting his interests above that of the general population. It is truly ironic that the very method he used to launch his career and build increased support also led to his downfall, as his narcissistic behaviour no longer benefitted followers. Considering the needs of others is a crucial part of leadership, and whether Trump intended it or not, his racist behaviour appealed to many followers because they believed excluding immigrants would help them. It appeared to be a win-win situation as he could focus on his interests while capturing the interests of many Americans. Nevertheless, there is a limit on all things too good to be true, as Trump's political career came to an end with his loss to Joe Biden.