Political Correctness and the Trump Presidency Assessed
This essay examines the role of political correctness (PC) in contemporary American politics through the lens of the Trump presidency. It defines political correctness as non-demeaning, non-discriminatory language use and explores the tension it creates between inclusivity and free speech. The paper traces how Trump's deliberately non-PC rhetoric—calling countries "shitholes," labeling immigrants as criminals, and branding the media "fake news"—energized a right-wing base that views PC culture as liberal social control. Drawing on scholars such as Mooney and Evans, Marron, and Conway, the essay considers whether Trump's rise signals a broader cultural revolt against political correctness, and weighs that revolt's consequences, including documented increases in hate crimes during his administration.
- Introduction: Trump, Political Incorrectness, and the Presidency: Trump's unlikely rise as a non-PC candidate
- Defining Political Correctness in American Political Culture: PC defined and contested across political lines
- Trump's Anti-PC Rhetoric and Its Appeal: Trump's inflammatory language and its right-wing appeal
- The Cultural Revolt Against Political Correctness: Rising hate crimes amid growing anti-PC sentiment
- Conclusion: Language, Culture, and the Future of Political Discourse: No linguistic holy grail; political speech standards shifting
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper frames its central question clearly at the outset—whether Trump's presidency signals a cultural revolt against political correctness—and sustains that question throughout, giving the essay a coherent analytical thread.
- It balances multiple disciplinary perspectives (political science, sociology, linguistics, cultural studies) without becoming unfocused, demonstrating interdisciplinary thinking appropriate to the subject.
- Specific, concrete examples—Michael Richards versus Dave Chappelle, Trump's "shithole countries" remark, the University of California hate-crime study—ground abstract arguments about language and culture in observable evidence.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper effectively uses definitional framing: it opens by establishing what political correctness means (via Mooney and Evans), then systematically tests that definition against real political behavior. This move—define, then challenge or complicate—is a reliable structure for argumentative essays in the social sciences and humanities.
Structure breakdown
The essay opens with a contextual introduction establishing Trump's unlikely political rise. The discussion section proceeds in three logical steps: defining PC and its contested status, examining Trump's specific anti-PC language and its audience, and assessing the wider cultural revolt and its consequences (including rising hate crimes). A brief conclusion resists an easy verdict and instead positions the trend as ongoing, which is intellectually honest given the evidence presented.
Introduction: Trump, Political Incorrectness, and the Presidency
When Donald Trump launched his campaign for the highest office in the land, most people—including most political analysts—did not believe he stood a chance. Here was a reality TV show host and real estate billionaire known for his brash language and taste for controversy. He simply did not fit the political mold, which, due to the constant need to balance the interests of various stakeholders and ensure that no constituency feels aggrieved, was designed to encourage politicians to be politically correct (PC). Yet voters seemed to like that Trump had a non-PC, no-holds-barred approach: it endeared him to millions of viewers of his television show around the world.
Perhaps most surprisingly, this inexperienced political newcomer ended up beating seasoned politicians—with the first surprise coming in the primaries, where he managed to defeat a total of 16 established GOP candidates. He later outmaneuvered the Hillary Clinton political machinery and clinched the presidency. Today, he continues to confound both friend and foe. Trump's ascent to the presidency presents a complex phenomenon that encompasses the disciplines of political science, sociology, cultural studies, media, and language—for by weaving his way through these fields one can see more clearly how Trump managed to beat the odds by resisting the traditional candidate's application of political correctness in language and using fiery, combative speech to win over the hearts and minds of his base.
The Trump presidency ultimately raises the question: are we in the middle of a cultural revolt against a concept that has long defined the world of politics—that is, political correctness? If the answer is indeed yes, how did we find ourselves here, and what are the consequences?
References
Conway, L. C. (2020). How a cultural revolt against "political correctness" helped launch Trump into the presidency. Retrieved from https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2018/02/28/how-a-cultural-revolt-against-political-correctness-helped-launch-trump-into-the-presidency/
Hart, R. P. (2020). Trump and us: What he says and why people listen. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
Morini, M. (2020). Lessons from Trump's political communication: How to dominate the media environment. Belmont, CA: Springer Nature.
Marron, M. B. (2019). Misogyny and media in the age of Trump. New York, NY: Rowman & Littlefield.
Mooney, A., & Evans, B. (2015). Language, society and power. New York, NY: Routledge.
NPR. (2016). 'Politically correct': The phrase has gone from wisdom to weapon. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2016/12/14/505324427/politically-correct-the-phrase-has-gone-from-wisdom-to-weapon
Travers, M. (2019). In new research, psychologists explore the upside of political incorrectness. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/traversmark/2019/10/09/in-new-research-psychologists-explore-the-upside-of-political-incorrectness/
Woodhouse, L. (2018). Trump's shithole countries remark is at the center of a lawsuit to reinstate protections for immigrants. Retrieved from https://theintercept.com/2018/06/28/trump-tps-shithole-countries-lawsuit/
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