What are the lessons of a Donald Trump victory? Donald Trump
Donald Trump

Donald Trump

Donald Trump is going to be the President of the United States of America. That must rank as one of the most ridiculous statements this year. The problem is that it’s true! Hard to swallow  for many people I know, loathe him or love him, The Trump will be occupying the Oval office come January 2017.

“But whether you intensely despise him or just mildly dislike him, one thing you’ve got to admit: Donald Trump                                                 is a phenomenon, the likes of which has never been seen on the American political stage,” writes communications guru, Fraser Seitel, co-author of the seminal book, Rethinking Reputation: How PR Trumps Marketing and Advertising.

And believe me Fraser had no clue that Trump would — even by the quirkiest of the imagination — be president                                                     when he coined the title of that book, which he penned with John Doorley. It was published in 2013, by the  way.

Trump energised the masses by striking the right note for an electorate distressed by an uncertain economy and shifting cultural values and exasperated by politicians who care mainly about their own re-election.

Seitel explained why what he called ‘The Trump Effect’ worked so well and left the political establishment quivering.

These are the hard lessons Seitel says the Trump  victory has given us during a bruising campaign to get elected.

First, Trump is a bona fide celebrity. In a culture of celebrity, everyone knows Trump.

He’s been a TV star, gossip-column item and page one bombastic big mouth for years. And he does know people like Kanye West. Being a celebrity in 21st century America counts for plenty!

The fact is that Trump didn’t need to advertise as much as his opponents.

He got wall-to-wall free publicity, largely due to his larger-than-life celebrity status.

Secondly, Trump tells it like it is.

He doesn’t talk political speak. He speaks directly with language that people understand.

You may not agree with him, but you certainly know where he’s coming from, and where he is going.

Not so with Hillary Clinton,who couldn’t get out of her own way on the e-mail controversy.

Compared to the Trump on the Mexican walls, Hillary failed as Secretary of State and any other subject you might care to                              raise.

The multi-billionaire, for better or worse, was always brutally candid.

Third, he takes on all critics.

Public relations consultants religiously tell their clients, “Always take the high road and never ever bad mouth the competition.”

But Trump doesn’t listen to public relations consultants; he listens to Trump. And he pulls no punches, even taking on sacred cows that other politicians won’t go near.

And so, whether it’s migrants, the Washington establishment or the ‘fickle’ media . . . the Donald let’s them have it if he thinks they’ve wronged him. And he goes after them with barrels blazing, in a most undiplomatic way.

As we all watched in horror, we wondered how he got away with it. Nothing seemed to stick to him.

Look at how he survived the potentially fatal leaked recording of him saying very unflattering things about  women.

He might just be America’s first Teflon president!

One of the hard lessons of politics, as in sports, is that playing defence isn’t usually the way to win. A winner must control the agenda.

When Hillary was forced incessantly to defend her e-mails, she lost momentum, and it hurt her campaign. But Trump, with much to be “defensive” about, stayed on the offensive no matter what, says Seitel.

He is right. When, during his primary campaign, Trump drew outrage for booting Univision’s Jorge Ramos from a press conference, he never wavered about Ramos deserving the treatment for being rude, which he was.

When Latinos lambasted him for extreme immigration positions, Trump neutralised the backlash by meeting with the CEO of the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (who praised him), and the President of Mexico.

“When radio interviewer Hugh Hewitt tried to expose Trump’s general knowledge by asking ‘gotcha’ questions about                       terrorist leaders’ names, Trump bashed him as a little-known talk show host trying to gain recognition (which he was),” Seitel observed.

The point is that when it comes to being put on the defensive, Trump came out punching.

Fifth, he is a true “outsider.”

The fact is Americans, like Zimbabweans, generally despise politicians, and Trump milked this fact. Since 2002, according to Gallup, the public’s approval of the US Congress has descended steadily, settling today at an appalling 14 percent.

“Few can get away with it; with many believing, “Once a politician — whether governor, senator or mayor — always a politician,”Seitel writes.

It probably explains why former ‘B’ movie star, Ronald Reagan got elected in 1980. He went on to become one of the United States’ best presidents.

Yet there is broad consensus that Trump is certainly no Reagan!

Trump is the consummate “outsider” who’s made fun of politicians and means it.

He says what he wants, pays his own way, tweets at the drop of an insult, buys no ads, talks to any reporter,  calls in to talk shows, throws journalists out of press  conferences — and then invites them back in to ask questions!

President-Elect Trump is an act never seen on the American political stage.

As the saying goes, the problem with political jokes is that they can get elected.

Yet with the elevation of Donald Trump to the most powerful political office on the globe, no one is laughing.

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