Introduction
The race for the Republican presidential bid is well underway. Some avoid politics because they don't trust politicians or they find them confusing. Our group thought Donald Trump, as a prominent character in the race, would be an interesting subject for our analysis.
Background
This is not the first time Donald Trump has flirted with the presidency. In 2000, he told the New York Times, "It's a very great possibility that I will run," in reference to the Reform Party's 2000 presidential nomination (Allen, 2015).
When Trump announced his candidacy on June 16, he said, "So, ladies and gentlemen, I am officially running for president of the United States, and we are going to make our country great again." Just over four years ago Trump also said he would be running, but backed out. This time he is back and stronger than ever. He has been playing with this idea first in 1987, then 1999 and again in 2004, 2008 and most recently in 2011 (Diamond, 2015).
Analysis
Donald Trump sometimes fails to remain objective when presenting facts, and so while he often cites accurate, verifiable facts, it's hard to distinguish whether what he's saying is truth or truthiness.
For example, when he said in a speech given at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition that the U.S. is giving Iran $150 billion, he was correct. But then he added, "by the time I get there, it'll all be gone. It'll all be spent. It'll all be given to a lot of people, and a lot of bad people. It is so sad, and it's going to go very quickly" ("Donald Trump speaks," 2015).
In this and many other instances, Trump will offer a fact or statistic and then tag on his opinion. His opinion cannot be verified — it cannot be proven that $150 billion will be given to "a lot of bad people." It can't be proven that "it is so sad."
To be fair, politicians are elected because of their opinions — their stance on certain issues is important to voters. In this respect, Trump has gained enthusiastic support from some Americans. But as a objective fact-presenter, Trump falls short.
In all three of Trump's interviews with CNN, he doesn't always answer the questions being asked. He goes on long rants and seems to have his own agenda. He seems to take control of interviews and lead it in the direction he wants it to go. Trump doesn't need money from donors, so he is always blunt and frank in his interviews. He says things like "excuse me" and "don't interrupt me." While his lack of agenda might be seen as a good thing, it seems to result in a lack of direction.
One of the strategies Donald Trump employs is attacking his fellow candidates — not only at the debates in person, but also over social media. He will bring up the candidates' past and current affairs to make him look better. He even will post on Twitter his thoughts on someone who just finished interviewing him, making him look good even if the interview did not go well.
Trump is very good at controlling the question, answering it how he sees fit — in other words, fundamental attribution error. He often dodges the main point of the questions. If he does not have the answer ready or does not want to answer, he is good at saying just enough to move on to the next question.
In general, it seems that Trump — rather than spreading truth — imitates truth.
