Special Report: America first: the challenge for Mexico (ISSN 17414474)

With the benefit of hindsight it can be argued that Donald Trump’s successful political campaign was built on appealing to a section of the US electorate that felt ‘left behind’, excluded, and disproportionately impacted by the economic crisis of 2008-2009. The cliché was that Trump’s appeal was strongest among inhabitants of ‘rust belt’ cities, where there had been sharp losses of traditional jobs in manufacturing. Like many clichés this contained an important element of truth. In his effort to differentiate himself from the other candidates and present himself as a true outsider, Trump seized on Mexico and the Mexicans as a useful target. He was able to tap into to popular concern by repeatedly attacking NAFTA, job losses, immigration and crime – all subjects where the US could be portrayed as losing power and influence, justifying key slogans such as “America first” and “Make America Great Again”.