United States

The campaign for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination

Against this backdrop the campaign for the 2016 election unfolded with the primary battles of both parties largely shaped by unlikely insurgent populist candidates—businessman and reality TV star turned Republican Donald Trump and democratic socialist U.S. senator turned Democrat Bernie Sanders. Trump rose to the top of an extremely crowded Republican field, winning primary after primary by employing unfiltered—often outlandish—personal attacks on his rivals in debate, in media interviews, and especially on Twitter. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio were particular targets of Trump’s vitriol before he turned it on the last two candidates blocking his path to the nomination, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich. Because Trump’s critique was also aimed at the Republican establishment, not only was there an effort by elements of that establishment to stifle his candidacy, but he also had trouble gaining the support of a number of key Republican leaders once he had secured the party’s nomination.

Trump, DonaldDonald Trump.© Gino Santa Maria/Shutterstock.com

Nonetheless, Trump won fervid popular support, especially among blue-collar white men, with his promise to return America to greatness by combating illegal immigration, negotiating beneficial trade deals, taking a tough economic stance against China, beefing up the military, obliterating ISIL, and eschewing political correctness. In the process, Trump also stirred hostile reaction by proposing highly controversial policies and regularly making inflammatory remarks. Among those policies most derided by his critics were his promises to build a wall between Mexico and the United States and to ban Muslims from entering the country. In addition, he was taken to task by opponents for his disparaging comments about Mexicans, remarks to and regarding women that were widely perceived as offensive, and his impugning of the character of the Muslim American parents of a U.S. soldier killed in combat after the soldier’s father was critical of Trump in a speech during the Democratic National Convention.