Donald Trump's campaign: What he should be proud & ashamed of

Business Standard looks back at the campaign of Donald Trump to dissect where he was right or went terribly wrong

ASHAMED 

Attacks on women: Trump not only was found to have been ugly behind the scenes while talking about women but also publically made comments that denigrated women. From calling Ariana Huffington ‘ugly’, to denigrating ex-Hewlett Packard chief Carla Fiorina and calling Hollywood actor Heidi Klum fat. Trump’s misogynist remarks against Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly(Pictured below) was also a blot on his campaign. 

Diatribe against Mexicans: Trump shocked the large Hispanic community in the U.S when he called for building a wall on the U.S-Mexico border to keep out Mexican immigrants. Trump went on to say that his planned wall to keep out Mexicans would be built by making the Mexican government pay for it.

Personal attacks on Clinton: Trump made several deeply personal comments against Clinton – called her unfit to govern when she suffered a bout of mild pneumonia and even raked up her husband’s affair with Monica Lewinsky not just during his campaign but also during the presidential debates.  

Denigrating the Muslim Community: Trump took his hatred against radical Islam to a new level. During his campaign, he vowed to set up a Commission on radical Islam to make people aware about the dangers of radical Islam. He hit his lowest low when he questioned the appearance of the mother of Captain Humayun Khan, a soldier who dies in Iraq, in a Democratic convention.

PROUD

Need to revamp Obamacare: Trump had been bang on target when he pointed out that Obamacare had led to an escalation of medical costs for the ordinary American. Multiple reports show that Trump was right in his criticism as healthcare costs had indeed risen more than wages under Obamacare.

Self-belief in face of adverse media coverage: Almost every media house including the much venerated The New York Times declared their open support for Clinton. Despite vicious media attacks, Trump held his own and refused to back down on his convictions. 

Support for alien talent:Initially Trump took a brazen anti-immigrant stance, even coming down hard on skilled immigrants. However, Trump was flexible enough during his campaign and acknowledged that good talent even it meant immigrants were required for keeping America globally competitive.   

Taking on attacks on his wife with dignity: During the campaign, various media outlets hit new lows by launching attacks on Trump’s family. From publishing nude photos of his wife Melania to calling her a ‘soft porn star’, no stone was left untouched. Surprisingly, Trump did not react overtly on these personal attacks on his wife.

Being honest about tax evasion: During the campaign, there were damning revelations about Trump having dodged taxes by showing his businesses in deep losses. Even Clinton tried to embarrass Trump by invoking it during presidential debates. Trump acknowledged that he would publish his tax returns once they were vetted by his chartered accountant.