The Problem With Donald Trump's 'Great' Campaign Slogan
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Donald Trump's signature campaign slogan — "Make America Great Again" — was dealt a damning blow on Wednesday after a poll found that the majority of Americans already think that America is great ... again.
AP/Andrew Milligan - apimages.com
The Pew Research Center released the results of a survey that asked respondents about America's economic standing in the world. It shows that Americans' confidence in the country's economic prowess has rebounded dramatically since 2010, when the recession casted doubts on American exceptionalism.
Pew Research Center - pewglobal.org
From 2008 to 2014, less than half of Americans believed that the U.S. was the world's leading economic power. The percentage fluctuated between 38 and 46 percent, the lowest points falling in the years immediately following the 2008 economic crash. Now, despite Trump's claims to the contrary, most Americans seem to think the country is — at least economically — great again: 54 percent, to be exact.
A huge (yuge) part of Trump's platform concerns what he sees as China's encroaching influence in the global economy. He says we're "losing" to China and, therefore, need to renegotiate our trade deals. "When Donald J. Trump is president, China will be on notice that America is back in the global leadership business and that their days of currency manipulation and cheating are over," a statement on his campaign website reads.
But Pew's new poll challenges Trump's claim that America is losing to China.
"Overall, people in the 16 nations polled tend to identify the U.S. as the world’s leading economic power, rather than China," Pew writes. In America, only 34 percent of respondents identified China as the world's leading economic power.
Pew Research Center - pewglobal.org
"Make America Great Again" makes for a compelling presidential campaign slogan and marketable logo, but confronted with the reality of how the world (and Americans) perceive the U.S. today, the slogan doesn't seem to hold water.
[h/t The Washington Post]
