Donald Trump, the former president of the United States, is the Republican candidate for the next US presidential election. He has a short political history full of scandals and is facing three cases in the courts that accused him of interference in the 2020 presidential election and illegal custody of classified documents.
He was recently convicted on 34 counts of fabricating business records, and 11 of his former subordinates have already been sentenced to prison for various crimes, including fraud and conspiracy.
Despite his charges, Trump is still eligible to run for president in November. So, his business career and political legacy deserve an early review on his third presidential run.
Entrepreneur who becomes a media personality
Trump owns Trump Organization, a conglomerate that contains all its business projects. He began leading it in 1971 and expanded the company’s properties, gaining a reputation as a real estate developer.
However, Trump faced many financial challenges when he began building hotels and casinos. The Trump Organization fell deep into debt due to high interest rate loans it took out. It was realized in the bankruptcies of the Trump Taj Mahal and Trump Plaza Hotel casinos, while other casinos in Atlantic City were successful.
These failed projects did not stop him. Trump began licensing his last name in the United States and abroad. His name appeared on hotels, vodka, steak, games and water bottles, and Trump recently used it on his line of shoes and Bibles.
He became a media personality through television. Trump produced and starred in a reality show called “The Apprentice” which focused on judging the business talent of the contestants. The program served to strengthen his public image as a successful businessman, in addition to his book “The art of business.”
He also owned the beauty pageant miss Universe until 2015, and often used it to promote his interests. According to the newspaper The New YorkerTrump organized the contest in places he chose for his own business interests such as Las Vegas and Florida.
Trump and his campaign for the presidency 2015-2016
Trump had no political experience before running for president, and was the first American president without political experience or military experience.
In an interview with time In 2015, Trump said his motivation was to do it “for me.” The reaction to his announcement was a mix of humor and derision due to his position in popular culture as a television personality.
Trump debuted his famous slogan: “Make America Great Again” and boasted of his wealth and business success to establish himself as a qualified candidate. He was defined by his presence on Twitter, using it as a political tool to disparage his opponents and use inflammatory rhetoric against women, Mexicans, Democrats and the press.
He also popularized his own phrases that his fans shouted at campaign events. Trump repeated “Build a wall” to promote his vision of blocking Latin American immigrants from the southern border. She also repeated “Lock her up” in reference to her opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton, who had a scandal over her emails.
His initial slogan “Make America Great Again” appeared on a bunch of red caps on top of his fans’ heads. According to CNN, Trump took advantage of the anger of the working class against Washington politicians and promised to “drain the swamp” of corruption that exists there.
His victory in 2016 surprised everyone, even his own team.
A senior Trump adviser told a CNN reporter that it took “a miracle” to win the election. According to an analysis conducted by the Pew Research Center, election forecasters proposed that Clinton’s chance of winning was between 70 percent and 99 percent.
Forecasters, journalists and political pundits failed to estimate the wave of support for Trump from rural voters that decided the election.
Trump’s presidency 2017-2021
After his unexpected victory, Trump continued his inflammatory approach in the White House. He was the most accessible president on social media, using Twitter to announce his thoughts and policies and to attack members of the government and the press.
In the process, Trump violated time-honored political norms that presidents typically followed.
He continued his criticism and disparagement of Clinton after the election, an action that helped fuel political polarization, according to the Miller Center, a research center that specializes in the study of presidencies. Trump also refused to share his statements of assets and income. He also did not completely separate himself from his business activities.
Trump is the first president to be impeached twice for abuse of power in soliciting interference from Ukraine for its own political interest and fomenting an insurrection.
During his time in the president’s office, Trump changed the United States’ relationship with the world.
He focused his diplomatic efforts on aligning himself with the leaders of Brazil, Russia and North Korea against the country’s democratic tradition, according to a BBC article. Trump also removed the United States from the international stage for abandoning The Paris Agreement and the nuclear deal with Iran. These actions represent his philosophy of “America First”an idea that has isolationist and nationalist tendencies.
Another great impact was his reconfiguration of the judicial power in the Supreme Court. The majority of the highest court of Justice is now conservative, a fact that will influence the implementation of policies for decades.
His administration also promoted “alternative facts” that fuel misinformation that still persists and divides the American people.
According to a survey of Pew Research CenterDemocrats and Republicans during Trump’s presidency received their information from “two almost inverse news environments” and most don’t believe they can agree on the basic facts.
The result of the 2020 election
Trump’s bid to retain the presidency in 2020 is now defined by his relationship with the alt-right and his legacy of promoting conspiracy theories.
Trump lost the presidential election to his Democratic opponent Joe Biden, Barack Obama’s former vice president. However, he repeated that the election was “a fraud” and persisted in rejecting the results, which generated a wave of election denialism among Republicans.
This lie undermined faith in the electoral process and fomented an insurrection in the January 6, 2021. A mob of passionate Trump supporters invaded the Capitol to reject Biden’s victory. The demonstration was armed and violent, breaking windows and damaging offices.
Lawmakers hid in safe locations, and became angry with Trump after the riot was seen as an attack on democracy. So they “challenged” it in the Deputies, but not in the Senate.
However, the denialism of the presidential election result that emerged after Trump’s words continues to affect American politics. Trump has never admitted that he lost the 2020 election and there’s a chance he’ll do the same if he loses the next election in November.
Trump, in the 2024 election
Trump’s presidential campaign is now surrounded by scandals. On May 30, a New York jury found him guilty on 34 counts of fabricating business records in his effort to silence a porn actress before the 2016 election.
After being convicted, Trump received $34.8 million in donations for his presidential campaign. He uses the guilty verdict to point out that he was a victim of political persecution.
“The true verdict will be given on November 5,” he declared after being tried.
The judge in his case will hand down a sentence against Trump on June 11, just a few days before the national convention of Republicans who will officially nominate him as their presidential candidate.
* Mia Osmonbekov, communications student at Arizona State University (ASU).
