The Master Persuader

This Saturday I enjoyed an exciting evening sitting on my couch watching Trump: An American Dream on Netflix. In one section where they interviewed a woman close to Trump, she referred to him as "The Master Persuader," a title that sparked a connection in my mind between the documentary The Persuaders. Trump's first major project, restoring and rebuilding a hotel in Manhatten, was made possible through the way that he pitched and portrayed his project. In order to fund his project, he requested a tax break from the city for 40 years. While it seems like a far-fetched proposal, the city was going through rough times and needed a boost, so Trump appealed to the "need to achieve," marketing his project as a saviour for the city that would cause drastic imporvements in the economy, area, and status of the city. He also used the grand stature and elegance of the building to  appeal to the" need for prominence." Once built, he and his beau and later wife Ivana decorated the rooms with gold, silk, and all manner of luxurious materials. In an interview, he jokingly said that Queen Elizabeth would be leaving Buckingham palace to come live in Trump Tower. He appealed to possible clients through their "need for affiliation" to the higher parts of society and need for prominence.

We saw Trump use these tactics when he was just starting to make it big in real estate, and we see him and his team use them now in politics. He came to power because he appealed to peoples need for guidance because he, the master businessman, would restore jobs to make America great again. He appealed to peoples need to feel safe through increasing travel bans and building a giant wall. He appealed to peoples need to dominate, to be the greatest country in the world through promising to do just that. He appeals to peoples need to agree through brash twitter wars and statements to foreign leaders and those who oppose him.

Trump is the acclaimed "Master persuader," but just because he uses these advertisement tactics, is he really persuading people of what he is actually doing? Or is he gaining their support through persuading them that a possible result of his actions could be beneficial and then use that support to do something else? I personally am not persuaded by Trump and don't believe that he is a master at it, but he has appealed and persuaded a large group of people.  He has undeniably used the media to benefit him, and he apparently has some appeal due to his extensive coverage in tabloids and media. There is something he may be doing right, but does that mean he is the master persuader? Does that really mean that he has mastered the art of advertising and persuading like he has claimed?