This is an article from the Fall 2024 Civitas Examiner (Volume 1, No. 2) and was written by one of our students, Elliott S. The opinions expressed herein do not reflect those of Civitas other than respect for the value of open dialogue. To read more Civitas Examiner stories or to submit your own, click here.
Regardless of your feelings about them, no one can deny that Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are both incredibly charismatic individuals. Harris’ laugh rocked the internet this summer, and Trump has kept Republicans fired up since he announced his candidacy eight long years ago. Yet when it comes to how their supporters depict them, there are many differences. In 2016, when Donald Trump was first running for president, he was quick to capitalize on jokes and humorous depictions of himself. While nearly every campaign poster I saw for Hillary Clinton offered little more than her name, Trump’s supporters placed signs depicting his head photoshopped onto a buff, muscled body, or even cartoons with his distinctive hair exaggerated and American-flag sunglasses over his eyes. In 2024, the dynamic seems to have shifted completely. Trump, secure and established in his place as a candidate, had signage that mostly focused on one thing: his name. Supporters of Harris, meanwhile, were the ones with cartoonish signs depicting her face over the “Brat” logo from pop-singer Charli XCX, or the candidate beneath palm trees overflowing with coconuts. I grew up in the small town of Collinsville, in Southern Illinois, and am now attending Georgetown University in Washington, DC. Both places have offered me great opportunities to see numerous campaign signs for both political parties, while predominantly letting me see support for the more “memeable” candidate in both 2016 and 2024.
Appearing as the more interesting candidate in 2016 and the more serious candidate in 2024 both worked out very well for Donald Trump, evidently. There are many possible reasons for this switch, but one that deserves special attention is the mood of the country in each year. In 2016, the country was coming off of two Obama terms, and many people, especially the blue collar workers of American industry, felt like the country had stagnated. There was a sense that nothing was changing here, while countries like China were growing at our expense. This sense of inactivity, of national stagnation, drove many people to prefer the candidate with wild campaign posters which implied novelty and change. In 2024, the national mood was one of much more belligerent discontent and outright anger. Atrocities have been committed in Ukraine and Palestine and grocery prices have risen for many Americans. In light of these issues, many people wanted the opposite of change. There was a desire to revert to something, even if the concept of what specifically would revert was ambiguous and diverse among Americans. Thus, voters wanted the more serious, older, and established candidate. Trump’s position as the established candidate, made so physically evident by the change in his campaign posters, won him the election.
