Heather Higgins:
It’s not just how Trump communicates with the public that’s different. What he says almost always has a metamessage (consistently missed by the commentariat) that reinforces his brand, advances a goal, or positions him for a negotiation. Here are some of the metamessages President Trump will continue to deploy:
I love YOU
The left will continue the stale Love Trumps Hate meme that didn’t work in the election. Portraying those who voted for Trump as haters only mobilizes them and strengthens their support for Trump. President Trump will tell the American people, as he did throughout the campaign, that he loves them and he loves America. Note that he is just about the only politician who uses this language.
Why will this work? People know that when you love someone you put them first and help them be the best they can be.
Where the Left casts people as victims and government as the sympathetic savior, Trump sees people as his equals, with human dignity and potential to fulfill. He wants them to succeed. People know this doesn’t mean abandoning a safety net or not helping those in need. But they want help that keeps their dignity, and their pocketbooks, intact, and the guy telling them he loves them sounds like he means it.
I’m working like hell for you (and so is Washington).
Trump, your employee, will tout with a dash of humility and a large amount of bravado…Look what “I” did for “you”. He will take advantage of his vast social network to ask the American people for a performance review and — just as he did on the campaign — ask “am I doing what you want me to do?” He will stress repeatedly that you are the boss, and he is working like hell to get things done.
Respect
Trump will overtly request that foreign governments show the American people respect and call out those who don’t. It has been a long time since a president made clear that Americans expect respect. For the past eight years, millions were disturbed and angered by the disrespect shown our president and military around the world, the global apology tour and the negating of American exceptionalism on the global stage.
Trump understands that you won’t be respected until you respect yourself. So as a starting point for all negotiations with other countries, expect Trump to demand respect, and walk away from any situation where it’s not granted. (Also expect him to walk out just on the general principle that it’s good to unnerve your counterparty, and the stronger negotiating hand belongs to he who will leave the table. (See “State visit: Mexico”.)
On the domestic front, President Trump will stress his respect for taxpayers who work hard for every penny and desire to ensure their money is well spent, both at home and abroad, just as they do with their own funds.
Strength
Likeability of this president is the wrong metric on which to focus — it’s not why people voted for Trump.
Many of his most ardent supporters didn’t see him as someone they would have invited to dinner. But even if they thought he was a bully, they thought the situation was sufficiently dire that they wanted him to be their bully, to cut through the Gordian knot of DC, to withstand the myriad arrows and break the ropes of the Lilliputian media — whose constant opposition is a gift to him of a foil and counterpoint.
So expect Trump and his administration to take positions that remind their supporters, as well as the opposition, of their strength, and to double down often.
Success and Progress, not Process
Trump’s focus will be on results (i.e. benefits to the American people) not process. As he amasses more successes, the left and media will carp on the fact that “he didn’t go about it the right way.” They will showcase the special interests, politicians and bureaucrats who were left out, insulted, or fired and replaced in the process of getting things done.
Trump knows that the American people don’t care how the sausage gets made in Washington. They want their sausage and they want it now.
Throwback ‘50s
Since the 1960s, we’ve largely been living through a Rousseauian moment where less is more, and progress and success were sneered at. Expect Trump to change that. Most visibly, he’ll actually improve infrastructure like airports.
Indeed this administration might actually revive our manned space program and call for another World’s Fair to showcase scientific advance. And always, there will be a message of making America great again.
Good points.
I also note how Donald Trump, both as candidate Trump and president Trump showed lots of extra respect for law enforcement.
He always took the time to meet and greet all officers assigned to guard his group.
He always took time to speak about them, including how they were wearing targets on them as far as the Left’s BLM and Occupiers were concerned.
He took time to give more than mere words when an officer died on duty.
He sent a person to the family and took care of some of their needs.
This all spoke volumes compared with Hillary.
Who could watch her treat them as baggage carriers and ”the help,” without thinking about what 4 years of her idealizing BLM and the Occupiers would do to their morale.
And that all had an effect on the voting public.
Without many words being spoken.
As usial the collage professors comparing Trump to Hitler and mindless blabbering idiots and frankly they all need to get a new job as collage like asa janitor cleaning up the very messes they leave behind