Some say that he ignited his candidacy when Obama made fun of him at a White House dinner, but regardless of his motivations, Trump made a run for it and won the presidency. Political pundits dismissed his candidacy, but he defied all odds (or so it seems) to secure the toughest job in the world.
The trump’s bid was fueled by anti-establishment rhetoric. To the people who rallied behind him, he was the candidate who presented concrete solutions to real-world problems devoid of the inhibitions that traditional candidates seem to harbor.
Trump made traditional candidacy, embodied by Clinton, look so out of touch with everyday problems like illegal immigration and high unemployment rates that people were willing to overlook his gaping flaws to elevate him to the presidency. His methods, however, may make it tougher for another non-traditional candidate to make it to the White House for the following reasons:
There will be more unconventional candidates
Trump’s success will inspire more people to believe that the barriers to the presidency aren’t as strong as we thought they were. Perhaps we can expect more people to package themselves as anti-establishment, selling “we against the political elite” messages. As the voters get used to this trend, it will inevitably dilute the appeal of running against the norm.
Voters will scrutinize harder
One of the greatest appeals of Trump’s campaign rhetoric was his simplistic solutions to complex problems. As noted by Slick Kook, even during his penultimate and final presidential debates, he gave sophomoric answers to questions that required more details. Now people will look at his presidency and realize that the simple solutions don’t fly. During future elections, voters will want more detailed answers to the contentious issues.
The Establishment will strike back
The “political elite” and the so-called establishment have controlled politics for so long and they will want to make a comeback. Last time out, they were dismissive of an outsider, but Trump’s victory will have forced them to take a step back and pay attention. You can bet that they will come better prepared to counter such candidates in the future.
Millennials
As the years roll by, more Millennials are becoming eligible to vote. A significant number of Conservative Baby Boomers backed their candidate and he won. However, millennials appear more inclined to the left (this can change) and this group of voters feel Trump has taken it too far. As they outnumber the older generation, we could see a shift in the political dynamics and a climate where a populist leader will have a harder time selling a nationalist agenda.
In addition to that, movements like #MeToo are fuelled by the ills that such people feel that Trump perpetuates. Will it be harder for people with tainted personalities to get elected in future elections? Only time will tell.
Trump’s success has made more people realize that you can appeal to the masses by bashing the establishment and succeed. He saw a weakness in the system and exploited it. But has his success in exposing the weakness in the establishment strengthened the resolve of the traditional politicians to never fall victim to an outsider? His accomplishments on the job will determine whether people will be more hesitant in future votes to elect a leader who talks a big game and merely rides the wave of being an unconventional candidate.