In his inauguration speech, Donald Trump’s use of the phrase “America first” may not be everyone’s idea of good political policy. But in terms of the language of trust it scores very highly because it is short, emotive and focussed specifically on the cares and concerns of his followers.
He mastered the art of short, emotive, simple communication during the election campaign, in chants of “lock her up” and “drain the swamp”. One voter said: “Donald Trump talks like we talk around our kitchen table. He is ‘one of us’, that’s why I voted for him.”
Whereas in the past we wanted leaders to be distant, cold bastions of authority, we now prefer them like us – simple, human and imperfect! We have given up believing in the all-powerful, all-knowing…
