United States

The Donald Trump administration

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.

The campaign for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination

On the road to that convention, front-runner Hillary Clinton was pushed to the limit by the challenge of Vermont Senator Sanders, whose “political revolution” was funded by some seven million mostly small-dollar donations (the average donation was long said to have been $27). Sanders supporters, including a legion of young people, were inspired by his firebrand determination to redress economic inequality, rein in Wall Street, provide single-payer universal health care, introduce tuition-free college education, and reform the political system.

Sanders, BernieBernie Sanders.Gage Skidmore

Having served as first lady, as a U.S. senator for New York, and as secretary of state, Clinton brought a wealth of experience to her candidacy, but for many voters she represented the status quo, even if she offered the potential of breaking the Oval Office’s glass ceiling as the first woman president. She was also dogged by the perception among many in the electorate that she was not trustworthy, partly because of her use of a private server for some of her e-mail during her tenure as secretary of state, an action that earned disapprobation from the FBI after investigation but that was not determined to be illegal.

Clinton entered the convention with over 2,800 delegates—more than the 2,383 needed to nominate—but her big advantage over Sanders, who had nearly 1,900 delegates, came from some 600 superdelegates in her column. Sanders could count on only about 50 superdelegates, who were not chosen through the primary and caucus process but instead were made up of prominent party members, members of the Democratic National Committee, and major elected officeholders. As the party’s nominee, Clinton sought to reach out to supporters of Sanders, who had left an indelible mark on the party’s platform and pushed Clinton to present herself prominently as a progressive and to shift many of her policies leftward.

Clinton, HillaryHillary Clinton at a campaign rally, 2016.© Joseph Sohm/Shutterstock.com

Hillary Clinton’s private e-mail server, Donald Trump’s Access Hollywood tape, and the 2016 general election campaign