In just about 15 months, Americans will once again cast their votes for president. Although it’s not clear yet who the Democratic nominee will be, we do know that President Trump will be the Republican candidate. When he first ran for president, he did so as an outsider. In other words, he ran against the failed policies of the ruling elites.
This time, however, Trump actually has a record to run on. He may get criticized for his statements on immigration and such, but one thing nobody can take away from him, not even his most passionate leftist detractors: the economy is booming.
Small wonder, then, that this will likely be the main focus of his reelection campaign. If his recent tweets are to be believed, that is:
The people on the stage tonight, and last, were not those that will either Make America Great Again or Keep America Great! Our Country now is breaking records in almost every category, from Stock Market to Military to Unemployment. We have prosperity & success like never before..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2019
“The people on the stage tonight, and last, were not those that will either Make America Great Again or Keep America Great!” he tweeted about the Democratic candidates who once again debated each other on a host of issues. After that criticism, he switched to a positive talking point: his economic record.
“Our Country now is breaking records in almost every category, from Stock Market to Military to Unemployment,” the president tweeted. “We have prosperity & success like never before.”
He followed up that tweet with this one:
…It will soon be time to choose to keep and build upon that prosperity and success, or let it go. We are respected again all around the world. Keep it that way! I said I will never let you down, and I haven’t. We will only grow bigger, better and stronger TOGETHER!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2019
“It will soon be time to choose to keep and build upon that prosperity and success, or let it go,” President Trump wrote. “We are respected again all around the world. Keep it that way! I said I will never let you down, and I haven’t. We will only grow bigger, better and stronger TOGETHER!”
As a sitting president, Trump has a choice for his reelection campaign:
1. He can go positive
2. He can go negative
3. He can do both
I initially thought he’d opt for the second option because it worked so well for him in 2016, but he has clearly opted for number three: touting his own positive record while blasting Democrats for being radical progressives. This approach could very well be a killer combination. The only “but” is that he will have to be smart about when to use which tactic — when to be positive and when to go negative.
The good news? It seems that this understanding comes naturally to President Trump. He may not be a career politician, but he sure as heck has a tremendous feel for when to employ different tactics.
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