Chrystal Savage, Staff Writer |
Is there a way to unite a country that is so divided and unsupportive of the current administration? Current US President Donald Trump, 71, has yet to reach an overall weekly approval rating of 50 percent, which is problematic and reassuring in a few ways. These ratings are indicative of a rigged system that no longer favors the majority of its citizens and shows an overall common ground amongst the majority.
On January 30, Trump delivered his required State of the Union address, an annual explanation from the President to Congress outlining the administration’s progress and future plans. NowThis Politics asserted that the address averaged one false statement every four and a half minutes. This is appalling and should concern citizens of this country, however, it should not be taken without a grain of skepticism.
NowThis Politics is not the only news organization to assert such claims. An article by The Washington Post tracked the President’s “false and misleading claims,” and revealed more than 2,000 within his first year in office. A number of these assertions could be argued to be an honest change of the President’s position rather than intentional misguidance on the part of the White House. Informed citizens would likely think that that these articles are over generalizations and exaggerate in many instances, however, as a whole they agree that press briefings are painfully uncomfortable to watch because Press Secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, dances around valid questions and defends inexcusable behavior orchestrated by the President.
Trump covered an array of topics, relevant and otherwise, in his address. The excitement of a successful, scripted, presidential feat was ultimately overshadowed just days later by a too familiar narcissistic argument. Most Americans can recall the dispute following the 2017 inauguration of the 45th president when the White House attempted to argue that the number of people in attendance was the most it had ever been, even though side-by-side images clearly told another story. The White House then clarified that they were apparently including streaming, broadcasting, social media, and additional sources and in some capacity attempted to validate their argument.
Two days after the address was made, the President claimed that “4.5 people watched, the highest number in history,” which, simply put, is fake news. It should also be mentioned that many viewers likely don’t support him, his administration, or his ideology and watched the address in part to remain informed or poke fun at it.
The consequences of this disconnection between the parties, the president, and the people is dramatic and requires a resolution. Between losing the popular vote by more than three million voters, having a horrific approval rating, facing constant threats of a government shutdown, and struggling to maintain support of “the base,” the media (conservative and otherwise), and Republican politicians alike, the current administration needs to reconsider and reconstruct their approach to cater more toward the majority of Americans. This is a country made up of a diverse and changing population, and Mr. Trump should consider that if he aims to be reelected in 2020.
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