‘Make America Great Again.’ The phrase can lead to many emotions. For some, it is a phrase of pride. It is about country first, the booming economy and jobs. For others, it is an oppressive movement hurting America led by a racist, xenophobic, inexperienced president.
No matter which side of the spectrum you’re on, whether Trump is your president or not, he has made America greater, just not the way he intended.
President Trump has single-handedly saved news media. In May 2017, the “failing” New York Times added a record of 308,000 subscribers to their publication. CNBC reported a more than 70 percent increase in stock for New York Times since the election.
Trump has made people want to be ‘woke,’ if that is what you youngsters say nowadays. The desire for knowledge has never been higher than it has been in today’s political climate. We are no longer getting our information through grapevines. Americans are doing their own research and forming their own opinions. An educated society is a better society.
The more ability we have to find our information, the more responsibility is put on our shoulders to find the whole truth.
This brings up the idea of ‘fake news.’ We have all heard it, some more than others. Trump is not wrong in his statements, he just isn’t hashtagging the right phrase. What Trump calls “fake news” is actually just media framing, the idea that media outlets are biased and shape their stories to fit a specific storyline or agenda.
Whether you want to believe it or not, media framing does exist. There are more obvious examples like Fox News, or more subtle examples like CNN. Journalists are only human; we have beliefs on everything and there is nothing wrong with that. Regardless, it is still news. If it was truly fake, President Trump would have his huge team of expensive lawyers suing every media outlet on every story published.
How do we avoid media framing? Use all media outlets to your advantage. It shouldn’t be uncommon for people to read stories from both liberal and conservative media organizations. It should be encouraged.
History is bound to repeat itself unless we make use of all the information around us. The Trump presidency has shown us that there is something seriously wrong with our political climate. A businessman, with no political experience, holding the most powerful position in the world.
Whichever side you’re on, Trump has made America greater. It may not have been through one of the platforms he used during the election process, but some of the greatest discoveries have been from our country’s biggest mistakes.
Forget the economy, national security, unemployment or any of the talking points that President Trump uses to prove his success. Trump has brought light to issues that have gone unseen for a long time, which has led to a national reaction that has enlightened the overall population.
No matter what happens over the span of his term, it is safe to say the first year of Donald Trump’s presidency has changed the American consciousness for the better.
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