Trump’s Secret Ingredient: Authenticity

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During the 2012 presidential election, the mainstream media successfully pushed the narrative that GOP nominee Mitt Romney was privileged and wealthy and hence out of touch with regular people.

Some articles asked, “Is Mitt Romney Too Rich to Be President?“

In order to debunk this narrative, the Romney campaign dispatched their candidate to the supermarket to buy groceries.

To appear the “regular,” Romney abandoned his customary suits in favor of casual attire — i.e., he wore jeans and shirtsleeves.

Romney struggled at the supermarket, initially forgetting about a shopping cart before entering the shop and subsequently struggling to maneuver the cart out of the shop.  Romney told reporters he would be cooking for his guests.

Romney looked awkward and overwhelmed, like an amateur understudy being forced onto the stage.  This poorly staged P.R. event earned Romney copious mockery. 

But Romney had a challenger for cringe-inducing P.R. events in Senator Elizabeth Warren.  Warren attempted to appear regular by declaring, “I’m gonna get me a beer.”  She was announcing her run for president in 2020.  Warren is a veteran at pretending: she notoriously falsified her ethnicity to secure a job at Harvard. 

Most politicians struggle to have elementary interactions with the regular people who put them in power and pay for their salaries and luxuries.

Here’s Hillary Clinton on a hip-hop radio show, claiming to be fond of hot sauce.

Here’s Kamala Harris attempting to converse with her guides during her tour of South Korea.

Kamala looked awkward interacting with voters at a local restaurant, and her forced laughter did her no favors. 

There are rare exceptions, such as the skilled deceiver Bill Clinton.

The core of politics is public service, yet most politicians have no connection with, relation to, or understanding of the public.  They’d rather swim with sharks than meet and greet regular people.  But they are compelled to do it during the election cycle.

They possess a disdain for regular people.  When Hillary Clinton said Trump-supporters belong to a “basket of deplorables,” she was reflecting the opinion of most politicians.

When they alter their accents or smile permanently while meeting with voters, this isn’t just trying to pretend to be regular.  It is also an attempt to conceal their disdain.

 

This is a swamp of deceit, pretense, and duplicity.

On the opposite end of the spectrum stands President Donald Trump.  Even his most vicious critics and haters will admit he is authentic.

On Sunday, Trump was at a McDonald’s outlet in Pennsylvania, serving customers meals and even making fries.  Andrea Widburg covered this beautifully in her piece.

This was a pre-planned exercise.  Given the security threats that Trump faces, he simply cannot appear unannounced anywhere and do as he pleases.  However, unlike Romney’s P.R. stunt, this exercise worked because Trump is authentic and willing, and he cares for the people around him. 

The premise may have been staged, but the joy and the emotions were real because of how Trump conducted himself.

This is why the customers were beaming with joy upon seeing President Trump while thousands of people crowded the area for a glimpse of their favorite president.  The comments on social media show that even Democrats concede that Trump is extremely likable and authentic.

So why did Trump’s event work spectacularly while others failed?

Romney and Elizabeth Warren were pretending to be regular people.  Trump wasn’t pretending to be a McDonald’s server when he donned an apron and prepared and packed boxes of French fries.  He was having some fun and engaging with his voters. 

Unlike Romney and Warren, Trump had prolonged interactions with regular people.

The symbolism of Trump serving food to customers was also most effective.

It is said that people are often the happiest when the server at a restaurant emerges with their food.  The aroma of freshly prepared food adds to the experience.  This is what Trump did at McDonald’s, and the videos captured it.

As a campaign strategy, this works remarkably at this juncture of the elections.  People often vote with their hearts and not their minds.  This exercise, where Trump is funny and warm, will certainly appeal to people’s emotions.

This isn’t the first time Trump has interacted with regular people.  Last year, during his visit to Ohio following the train derailment, Trump stopped by a McDonald’s outlet to buy food for first responders.

When Trump was in New York, he stopped by a barbershop in the Bronx.

Here is Trump thanking all who acted instantly following the second assassination attempt.

When Trump interacts with regular people, he doesn’t feel the need to pander and pretend to be one of them.  He remains his authentic self, while his interactions emanate from human curiosity, concern, compassion, empathy, and sensitivity.

This is why his rallies are supremely successful.

Unlike career politicians, Trump never reads off the teleprompter or performs his speeches for the television cameras.  He talks to people in the arena and engages with them.  His remarkable sense of humor often elicits laughter that comedians would envy.

Even when he talks about his past dealing with world leaders or complicated global affairs, he makes it relatable and comprehensible.

While making it relatable, he is never condescending.  He doesn’t talk down to people.  He doesn’t pander to his audiences.  He is who is he is — lively, funny, happy, and most of all confident.  All of these qualities show, no matter what he does.  He is comfortable in his skin and doesn’t feel the need to pretend, irrespective of the situation.

This is why his social media posts resonate with people.  Unlike most politicians, the tweets are not meticulously curated by a team of P.R. people.  They are authentic, from the heart, and reflect his true thoughts.

It’s not just his supporters.  Even his Democrat rivals find it hard to dislike him when they see him in person.  This was evident with N.Y. senator Chuck Schumer during the recent Al Smith Dinner.

Even when Trump goes on the offensive, he never punches down.  His targets are powerful people in the media or politics or showbiz who have treated him unfairly and who can counter him.  He never targets regular people, even Democrat voters.

It is not only Trump’s cordial and fun side that matters.  Trump has displayed unmatched bravery.

Following the assassination attempt during his campaign rally at Butler, Pennsylvania, Trump would have been forgiven for rushing himself off the podium and preferring to be completely shielded by the Secret Service.  But President Trump showed what he is truly made of mere seconds after the bullet struck.

He emerged from the surrounding Secret Service agents and defiantly urged his supporters to fight, with a fist clenched in the air.  There wasn’t even an iota of fear on his face.

Once again, such moments are impossible to falsify.

This is what floored Elon Musk and made him a supporter of Trump.

This makes President Trump the people’s president — it’s not just his policies, but also him as a person.

Image via Raw Pixel.