DONALD TRUMP: “CHANGING THINGS”
ANALYSIS BY KENDRA KEAHBONE AND ASHLEY VANDENBERG
The political ad “Changing Things” sponsored by Donald J. Trump lauds the changes he has made in pursuit of fighting the left. The harshly voiced narrator strategically refers to the political left as ‘The Swamp’ and makes it appear as if it is a fight of Good vs Evil.
The two key terror management themes used within this political ad are Threat to Values and Holy Longing. These two themes play on the idea that Donald Trump is the right candidate to vote for in November. Firstly, the ad begins with stating “They couldn’t defeat him, so now the swamp is trying to take him out. Politics at its worst.” The narrator of this ad is trying to make viewers believe that Donald Trump is the good guy trying to make changes, while ‘The Swamp’ is doing everything in their power to prevent these from happening. The ad highlights Donald Trump shaking hands with an American Soldier. In doing this, they are showing that Trump is a man who supports the military, which is a core American value. The ad is trying to show that the ‘swamp hates him,’ thus threatening viewers core American values of supporting the military. Beyond the mere depictions of Donald Trump being the ‘good guy’ who is persistently being attacked by the left, the ad also highlights that Trump is a “tough guy.” The ad states, “It takes a tough guy to change Washington,” indicating to viewers that Donald Trump is going to provide protection and be the ‘tough guy’ father-figure that America needs.
Furthermore, the second terror management theme depicted in this political ad is Holy Longing. The director demonstrates Holy Longing in this ad by appealing to viewers’ desire and longing for connectedness. The ad highlights images of people cheering at Trump rallies and workers gathered to support Trump. These images depict a sense of community and promote the idea that, if these viewers vote for Donald Trump, then they will be a part of something bigger than themselves—i.e., they will be connected to other Trump supporters who share the same American values. In this way, the ad strategically addresses viewers’ longing for significance and self-esteem. Lastly, the narrator highlights that Donald Trump is making changes. He is “fixing bad trade deals, creating six million new jobs, and securing our borders.” To the viewer, this ad depicts that voting for Donald Trump will bring jobs, financial security, and national security. Through using the Holy Longing approach, it creates a sense of security and community that only voting for Donald Trump will bring.
The people hired to make these political ads know how to appeal to their audience; they know how to invoke fear in people through tactics such as threatening one’s values and worldview. In addition, they know that making viewers feel a sense of security and significance through voting for a specific political candidate will help them manage their fear. When viewers are primed with the idea of death, they are more likely to vote for a candidate who will make them feel secure. Through making viewers think about death, they feel this desire to be protected, which leads them to vote for charismatic conservative leaders (Burke, Kosloff, & Landau, 2013). In this case, voting for a ‘tough guy’ like Donald Trump will bring the ultimate sense of protection and security, thus resulting in successfully managing one’s terror of death.
References
Burke, B. L., Kosloff, S., & Landau, M. J. (2013). Death Goes to the Polls: A Meta-Analysis of Mortality Salience Effects on Political Attitudes. Political Psychology, 34, 183-200. doi: 10.1111/pops.12005
Kendra Keahbone will graduate from Fort Lewis College with a B.A. in Psychology, Forensics, and Criminology. She then wants to pursue her M.A. in Forensic Psychology from California Baptist University, with an FBI internship. Following her master’s, she will seek her Ph.D. in Forensic Psychology.
Ashley VanDenBerg will graduate from Fort Lewis College with a B.A in Psychology, Criminology and Forensics. She wants to work with the criminal justice system in pursuit of different ways of rehabilitation. She also wants to work with the police department as a victim’s advocate. Ashley will then seek her M.A in Forensic Psychology from the University of North Dakota and, eventually, a PhD in Forensic Psychology in order to become an expert witness.