President Trump's First 100 Days
Health Care
Overview of First 100 Days
The First 100 Days have included a lot of different legislations and actions that have affected millions of people worldwide. This is a picture that highlights some of the most important actions that have occurred during this time period. During this time, Trump has had some of the lowest ratings ever and is on track to spend more on traveling in one year than Obama did in eight years. Trump is spending money like a child that has gotten new toys.
Picture Source: Mr. Credible Hulk
https://mrcredible.org/2017/04/28/donald-trumps-first-100-days-timeline/
Other Source: National Public Radio (NPR) News online article
Significant Event 1: March 25, 2017
Trump"s Tweet and Message to Media
Source: The Hill: Online Publisher
Rhetorical Situation
- Audience: The audience of Trump’s tweet and statement to media are the people of America especially the Democrats who turned down the bill and Trump’s supporters who wanted a new healthcare because of the failures of ObamaCare.
- Purpose: The purpose of his tweet was to tell his supporters and the rest of audience not give up on him and to continue supporting him as the Republicans try and get the bill passed. Further, the tweet is attempting to disrepute ObamaCare to reduce the support for it. The purpose of the message to the media was to criticize the Democrats that did not support the bill and did not vote for the repeal of ObamaCare. Trump wanted to publicly criticize them and blame them for the failure of the bill.
- Speaker: The speaker of this speech is President Donald Trump on the behalf of the Republicans who pulled the bill out of the House after it evident that it was going to fail.
Rhetorical Appeals
Ethos
Trump bolsters his credibility by saying “Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer” are the real “losers”, because “they own Obamacare”. By saying this, he attempts to show that Democrats are only hurting themselves by not supporting the new bill. He also says this in order to spread the idea that the new bill and his new administration is much more beneficial to the American public.
Pathos
President Trump incorporates pathos in hopes of bringing together the Republicans, and bringing together Americans as a whole. Trump tweets, “we will get together and piece together a great healthcare plan for THE PEOPLE. Do not worry!”. This creates the idea that President Trump is trying to work together and unite with the people who are negatively affected by Obamacare, in hopes of coming up with a healthcare plan for “the people”. He assures that them help is on the way in the near future.
Logos
Logos is incorporated in order to undermine ObamaCare and explain why Trump's attempt at a repeal of ObamaCare failed. After his bill was not passed, Trump claimed “the losers are Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer because now they own ObamaCare”. He believes that because of the failure of the bill, the owners are the losers because they have to remain with the older form of healthcare, which Trump believes is harmful to the American public. Additionally, he provides reason and logic for why the bill was not passed by claiming, “We had no Democrat support, no votes from the Democrats”. The logic behind this is that if Democrats are able to understand the benefits of the new bill, it will be passed.
Tone
- President Trump has two different tones in his tweet and message to the media. In his tweet he is very firm and certain about how ObamaCare will fail and “explode.” On the other hand, he is very certain that the Republicans will come together and make a very successful healthcare plan for the people that will pass and be better than ObamaCare. His tone in his tweet reveals how definite he is about his power to make a successful plan in the future despite having no Democratic support.
- His tone in the message to the media is very critical and is cautionary. Trump is being critical of the Democrats, especially Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, who did not support the bill and gave him “no votes.” He goes as far as saying that they are the losers of the results because “now they own ObamaCare” which according to him will fail soon. He is cautionary to the Democrats and people of America by saying that ObamaCare is going to explode soon and hurt everyone.
Rhetorical Choices
Hyperbole
Trump exaggerates the idea ObamaCare will “explode” and will cause the Democrats to be the real “losers” in this situation. However, in reality, many of the Democrats are in favor of ObamaCare and believe it is beneficial for themselves and the society. Trump exaggerates the upcoming demise of ObamaCare in hopes of gaining support for his healthcare policies.
Possessive Diction
- In his tweet and message to the media, Trump is very firm and authoritative in the way he expresses himself through his words. He believes that “we will all get together” and that “we [will then] get a real healthcare bill. Trump is extremely possessive in his wordings to show his authority and belief that the bill will pass if and when the Democrats choose to finally work with his administration. He reaches out to his audience by using “we” over and over to highlight that it will be combined effort through all of them to get the bill to pass. Further. By using possessive diction Trump is engaging in direct dialogue with the reader and therefore lowering the scope of the audience to give the reader the sense that they are having a conversation with Trump. Because he does not say “I” and instead uses “we,” he is bringing forward the idea of a common goal and a common enemy: to pass the healthcare bill with or without the help of the Democrats. Essentially, through possessive diction Trump is able to establish a personal connection with his audience.
Most Purposeful Rhetorical Choices
- Hyperbole
- Possessive Diction
Reason Behind
- At this point in Trump’s presidency, there is no change over time but just a few differences. There is no change because the Republicans are still unable to repeal ObamaCare and therefore made no progress in the process of implementing a new healthcare plan. However, there are a few differences because the Republicans have gained some support for their plan and have been able to make a new plan even if it was unsuccessful. This shows that they are attempting to make changes even if they are unsuccessful which is a difference from before. The reason behind this is that Trump’s presidency is relatively new and he has not yet gained the support of the Democrats. The only supporters he has currently are his voters and Republicans.
Significant Event 2: May 4, 2017
Trump's Speech after Health Care Bill Passed in the House
Source: Fox News and CNN
Rhetorical Situation
- Audience: The audience of the speech were the people of America and the Republicans who supported the healthcare bill. The speech was also intended to address the opposers of the healthcare bill and its supporters. These supporters surprisingly settled with this healthcare plan.
- Purpose: The purpose of this speech was to emphasize the positive effects of this bill, and demonstrate its superiority to the previous healthcare bill, ObamaCare. Further, President Trump wanted to the quell the opposition by showing how the bill had passed under the House and will pass under the Senate. Additionally, Trump wanted to highlight this major victory for the Republicans who have wanted to eradicate ObamaCare for years, especially Paul Ryan.
- Speaker: The speaker of this speech is President Donald Trump on the behalf of the Republicans who won passage for the new healthcare.
Rhetorical Appeals
- Ethos
- Trump attempts to augment his credibility by repetitively describing the talent and hard work that has been put into creating bill, and induces the audience to believe that they are men of intelligence and morality. He begins by saying, “This really is the group. What a great group of people. and they’re not even doing it for the party, they’re doing it for this country”. By saying this, he wants to make it clear that this was not done just to make a statement or bolster the position of the Republicans. He hopes to make Americans believe that this was done through true morality for the goodness of the nation as a whole, which increases the public trust in his administration. President trump continues to surround the new bill with positive feelings in order to increase the credibility of the administration. For instance, Trump says the bill was “incredibly well-crafted” by a group with “an unbelievable amount of talent”. He continues the positive attitude by repetitively saying the bill is “unbelievable” and “tremendous” with many “great features”. By building up this positive attitude around the bill, the audience is induced to believe that the Trump administration is very talented and credible in regards to healthcare reform. Trump is like a child attempting to please his parents.
- Pathos
- In this speech, President Trump uses pathos as a means to connect with some of the people that were negatively affected by Obamacare. He claims “we suffered with Obamacare” and in “two years of campaigning.... no matter where [he] went, people were suffering so badly with the ravages of Obamacare.” He uses the word “we” to create a sense of unity among those who “suffered” with the conditions of this bill. Additionally, when describing the hard work of everyone in his administration, Trump says, “We just have developed a bond. This has really brought the Republican Party together....This has brought the Republican Party together.” In this situation, he utilizes emotional appeal in order to engender a feeling of connection within the Republican Party.
- Logos
- President Trump incorporates logos within his speeches in order to emphasize the benefits of the new healthcare bill in comparison to ObamaCare. Trump attempts to spread the idea that “your premiums, they’re going to start to come down” and “when it comes to deductibles, they were so ridiculous that nobody got to use their current plan”. He also believes “insurance companies are fleeing” because of the “catastrophe” that is ObamaCare. He continues to say that “premiums will be coming down” numerous times in his speech. He hopes to make the audience to believe that there is logic and valid reasoning behind his plan.
Joyous
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/08/maybe-the-trump-campaign-is-doing-everything-right.html
Self-Appreciative
Condemning
Tone
- Throughout this speech, President Trump used three different tones to display his emotions and attitude towards certain things. First, he was mainly positive and joyous because the bill was passed in the House and maintained his positive tone by saying that the bill will be passed in the Senate as well. According to Trump, this passage was an “unbelievable victory” and everyone in the “amazing group of people” that came up with it deserves to go out and do “short little shots.” Therefore, Trump is also very self-appreciative of himself and of his team that put the bill together. The “great group of people” came up with this plan not just for them but “they’re doing it for the country.” His group has an “unbelievable amount of talent” according to Trump. He further expresses a self-appreciative tone when he reassures everyone that he is President. Trump attempts to show that even though people said he would not be president, he became one, and similarly people said that the healthcare bill would not be passed but it still did when he says “Hey, I’m President. Can you believe it?” To add on to the self-appreciative tone, Trump addresses the actual plan. He “brag[s]” about the plan because of “how good it is and [because] of some of its great features.” Lastly, President Trump is very condemning of ObamaCare and the Democrats who supported it. The people who were under ObamaCare were “suffering so badly with [the plan's] ravages.” He states how ObamaCare was “a catastrophe...that wasn’t going to work.” Not only this, “ObamaCare took 17 months” and “is essentially dead” right now. Overall, President Trump uses a positive and self-appreciating tone when referring to the new healthcare plan, himself, and the Republicans while being condemning to the Democrats who came up with ObamaCare because of all of its flaws.
Picture Source: The Atlantic: Publisher
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/11/better-off-before-obamacare/507650/
Rhetorical Choices
- Hyperbole:
President Trump often utilizes hyperboles to exaggerate the negative effects of ObamCare on Americans. His major claim is, “We suffered with ObamaCare” and further says, “I went through two years of campaigning, and I’m telling you, no matter where I went, people were suffering so badly with the ravages of ObamaCare.” This is clearly an exaggeration, because there are many other people who benefit from ObamaCare and is effective to some extent. Even though many middle-class and upper-class might be negatively affected by ObamaCare because of the high taxes, it is greatly appreciated among many lower-class families because how much it financially supports them and gives them a chance to live. With this hyperbole, Trump undermines the previous healthcare bill, and contrast it with the benefits of the new, Republican healthcare bill that he helped pass.
- Rhetorical Questions:
- Trump generally uses rhetorical devices in order to induce the audience to think his policies/ideas serve to satisfy the nation as a whole. After Trump describes some of the respectable aspects of the new healthcare bill and the “unbelievable amount of talent” that put it together, Trump says, “And coming from a different world and only being a politician for a short period of time -- how am I doing? Am I doing okay? I’m President. Hey, I’m President. Can you believe it? Right?” Then, he continues by asking, “wasn’t it unbelievable?” By asking these questions, President Trump attempts to make the audience acknowledge that although he has only been a politician for a short period of time, he has already come up with an “unbelievable” healthcare plan. Therefore, the audience is induced to believe that the time Trump has been a politician does not have a substantial impact on his political abilities.
- Repetition:
- Repetition is the most prevalent device used by Trump, because he needs it to stress the importance of an idea, or greatly applaud himself, his administration, and all Republicans. In this speech, Trump uses repetition to stress the strenuous work that has been put into constructing the bill, and to emphasize the unprecedented talent that within the administration and bill itself. For example, Trump strongly says, “make no mistake, this is a repeal and replace of ObamaCare. Make no mistake about it. Make no mistake.” The repetition of “make no mistake” serves to highlight the idea that Trump’s bill is drastically different than that of Obama’s administration. Trump also states that Obamacare is “dead, essentially dead”, and “would die immediately”. The repetition of die/dead emphasizes the complete eradication of ObamaCare. Trump continues to applaud the bill by claiming, “we don’t have to talk about this unbelievable victory -- wasn’t it unbelievable?..... But it’s going to be an unbelievable victory, actually, when we get it through the Senate.” The repetition of unbelievable clearly illustrates the he is very confident in the work that he has produced and that is in fact a victory for his presidency, the Republicans, and for the nation. In addition, when describing the tax cut he is hoping to initiate in the future, he says it will be a “massive tax cut, the biggest tax cut in the history of our country......the biggest since Ronald Reagan. No, it’s bigger than that.” The repetition of the words massive and big serve to show that Trump’s future goals involve trying to be very influential in the history of tax reform. At the end of the speech, Trump repeats the phrase “we are going to” in order to emphasize the “tremendous” changes in the upcoming years of his presidency.
- Repetition is also used in the form of anaphora and parallel structure. When describing the changes involved with the new healthcare, Trump says, “most importantly, yes, premiums will be coming down...But very importantly, it’s a great plan... And ultimately, that’s what it’s all about.” The repetition of the words importantly and ultimately at the beginning of consecutive sentences highlight the significance of the changes yielded by the bill. Furthermore, when describing the various people who helped put this bill together, Trump says, “We have the Tuesday Group -- we have so many groups. We have the Freedom Caucus. We have -- and they’re all great people....We have a lot of groups.” The repetition of “we have” represents the diversity and flexibility of the administration, and demonstrates that everyone played an important role in the making of this bill.
- Antithesis:
- “for the last week I’ve been hearing “Paul Ryan doesn’t have it. It’s not working with Paul Ryan. He’s going to get rid of Paul Ryan.” And then today I heard, “Paul Ryan is a genius, he’s come a long way.” (Laughter.) Right?”
- Trump provides a contrast between the perception of Paul Ryan before the healthcare bill was passed and after it was passed. This contrast demonstrates the the public perception of his administration will continue to change as he brings about more and more change to various policies.
Most Purposeful Rhetorical Choices
- Repetition
- Hyperbole
http://www.wilx.com/content/news/ELECTION-2016---Reactions-to-Donald-Trumps-win-400556151.html
The Reasons Behind the Changes and Differences
- The reason behind the differences and changes regarding healthcare in the First 100 days are due to the election of President Trump. Before Trump became president, ObamaCare existed which the Republicans essentially hated and despised. However, the election of President Trump has directly led to this change and radical difference in the bill. The Democrats had a bill that could most people could afford and guaranteed them basic coverage such as ambulances. However, with the election of Trump the major changes to bill most directly affect those that currently have medical problems. It supports people that are already healthy but does not help those that are sick very much. Some of these changes include not having essential health benefits such as maternity leave, coverage mandates dropped, and states can allow insurers to deny people with pre-existing conditions, which means that if they already had conditions, insurance companies do not have to insure them which would help them make profits. All these changes have happened because President Trump was elected and the Republican Party came into control of the House and the Senate. Further, because the Speaker of the House is Paul Ryan, a Republican and the main writer of the Bill, this is another reason these drastic changes have occurred regarding healthcare.
Works Cited
Garrett, Laurie. "A Huge Sigh of Relief on Health Care." CNN. Cable News Network, 25 Mar. 2017. Web. 19 May 2017.
Hartmann, Margaret. "Trump Informs Nevadans That They Pronounce ‘Nevada’ Wrong." New York. Daily Intelligencer, n.d. Web. 21 May 2017.
Khazan, Olga. "Better Off Before Obamacare?" The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 14 Nov. 2016. Web. 19 May 2017.
Levitz, Eric. "Or, Actually, Maybe the Trump Campaign Is Doing Everything Right." New York. Daily Intelligencer, n.d. Web. 20 May 2017.
Murphy, Ryan. "Donald Trump’s First 100 Days Timeline." Mr. Credible Hulk. N.p., 28 Apr. 2017. Web. 20 May 2017.
Nikki Schwab, U.s. Political Reporter For Dailymail.com. "It's All about That Face! You Don't Even Need to Hear the Words to Know What The Donald Is Saying: Here Are Trump's Most Expressive Debate Moments." Daily Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 17 Sept. 2015. Web. 21 May 2017.
Schmitt, Angie, and Ben Fried. "Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi Are Falling for Infrastructure Propaganda." Streetsblog USA, 17 Nov. 2016. Web. 21 May 2017.
Smilowitz, Elliot. "Trump Tweets: We'll Put Together a Great Plan after Obamacare Explodes."The Hill. The Hill, 25 Mar. 2017. Web. 20 May 2017.
"Trump, GOP Lawmakers Speak After Health Care Bill Passes House." Fox News. FOX News Network, 04 May 2017. Web. 17 May 2017.
Wilx. "ELECTION 2016 - Reactions to Donald Trump's Win." Content. WILX News, 09 Nov. 2016. Web. 21 May 2017.
Zarroli, Jim. "Trump's Travel Costs Add Up, Setting Him On Path To Outspend Obama." NPR. NPR, 15 Apr. 2017. Web. 18 May 2017.