The Democratic National Convention is over, with the successful (and popular) nomination of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, and plenty of high energy injected into the presidential race. One of the themes of the DNC was Joy, and there was plenty of that on display across the four nights it aired (despite what the Fox News pundits might have said). Meanwhile, the much darker Republican National Convention has faded from memory, and whatever little boost it might have given Trump at the time has been mostly lost, especially with Joe Biden stepping down and the Democratic Party rallying together to support Kamala Harris. So, as we head into the last days of the presidential race with momentum on the side of the Democrats, it is worth taking a close look at what Trump is running on to swing things back in his favor, and whether it is a message that offers any hope for the country.
The fact is that Trump’s platform has always been nebulous, designed to stir up emotions while providing very little in the way of substance. Leading into the 2016 presidential race, Trump whipped up fears about immigrants invading the country (focusing primarily on Islamic and Hispanic people) while accusing the media of spreading “fake news” and claiming that the election would be rigged. He also accused the Democrats of being Socialist/Communist (words that are often used interchangeably by Trump and the GOP, though lately they are leaning toward the latter) and claimed that they would use the government to interfere with the lives of the people and their freedoms.
At that time, Trump had the advantage of calling himself the outsider candidate who stood against the establishment and would champion turning the government around to work for the people. However, once he got into office, it became quite clear that much of his campaign rhetoric was nothing but bluster (something that should have been obvious, but that many missed) and that his agenda was much more about consolidating the power of the GOP, not helping the people of the country. He put his efforts toward cutting Social Security and Medicare benefits, eliminating universal healthcare, creating tariffs that hurt the economy more than they helped, and he fell very short on his promise of reviving manufacturing in the country. His one big accomplishment during his first term was a tax cut for the wealthy and corporations—which led to an increase in the deficit—and he failed to bring a promised long term tax cut for the middle class.
Trump was voted out of office after four years following a tumultuous and ineffective term which was capped off by his bungled handling of the pandemic (as well as an attempt to overturn the will of the voters). It sure seemed like Trump would fade away at that point, but his far-right-wing MAGA movement had established a tight enough grip on the Republican Party that he managed to hold on. He would eventually secure the presidential nomination from his party again, despite his disastrous time in office and the fact that he continues to push the GOP further right. But in all that time, has anything changed about his message?
Trump continues with his attempts to stir up fears about immigration, pushing it even further by claiming they are the “worst people” coming from “insane asylums” and that they are “poisoning the blood of our country” (echoing words once said by Adolf Hitler). He wants to take another stab at instituting his “Muslim ban,” and he is threatening to round up immigrants in large numbers and put them in detention camps while also carrying out mass deportations. He is again screaming “fake news,” even against Fox when they do anything that diverges from the expected “Trump is Great” message. He continues to claim that the election was rigged (both 2016 and 2020), despite no proof, little to no support from people in his former administration, and millions (billions?) of dollars spent in court cases that failed to uncover any fraud.
Really, the only changes from Trump’s first time around are a shift to an even darker message. With an extremely partisan Supreme Court bolstered by three justices he nominated (more on that here), Roe v. Wade was overturned, and Trump takes great pride in that fact. The GOP supports a national abortion ban, and while he has attempted to dodge that issue, women’s reproductive rights will certainly face serious challenges if he gets back in power. This has also opened the door to challenges on access to contraceptives and IVF, as well as same-sex and interracial marriage. The party that claims it wants less government in our lives is certainly setting itself up as a monolithic entity under Trump that will interfere on a regular basis.
Then there is Project 2025, which sets up a template for the consolidation of power to the executive branch and would essentially tear down our democratic system of government. Trump has tried to distance himself from that, but it falls very much in line with how he has indicated he wants to run the country. He has even publicly lauded the work of the Heritage Foundation (the group that put together Project 2025), and many people that were formerly in his administration are closely involved with it. As information on this agenda has come to the surface, it has proven very unpopular, but all indications are that Trump and the Republicans will follow that plan if he gets back into office. And with the Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity, he would have far too much leeway to carry this out.
Beyond the peddling of fear and stirring up of emotions, Trump has offered only vague plans along with plenty of bluster, and his core message is to vote for him so that he can make things better. That did not work out so well during his first term, and the fact is that the economy has been doing quite well under Biden, and Harris will continue to move forward with many of his policies that have helped to lift the nation out of economic turmoil. Meanwhile, Trump continues with his apocalyptic message, warning of waves of illegal immigrants and Communist policies, and even World War III, if he is not re-elected.
The people of this country are tired of these dark forebodings, and that is why the more hopeful message spread by Kamala Harris is gaining traction. Donald Trump has offered little in the way of a substantial agenda to keep the country moving forward, and his first term should act as proof that the MAGA “policies” will do little to help the average person and in many ways prove far more harmful to the general population. Kamala Harris may not be the preferred choice for many when it comes to running the country, but her platform does offer a means of moving toward a more hopeful future. Trump, on the other hand, has not veered far from his original message, and we have already seen how that has failed to do much to help the country.