Controversy Example Of Presidents Using Fear Politics

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Presidents Using Fear Politics

Fear Politics is a method of manipulation, often used by governments all around the world by many politicians. It is a very powerful form of influence, as when fear is presented most people will do what is takes to prevent it. Fear politics has many different aspects where it can be used in an immoral or unwise fashion versus when bringing attention to something of relevance. There are a few presidents over the years that have presented the most stand out and controversial examples of fear politics. These presidents include President Lyndon B Johnson, a democrat. Along with Richard Nixon, and Donald Trump, both republicans. These Presidents use different angles of the political strategy of fear, sometimes in …show more content…

Nixon is often always portrayed himself as a man to be feared, with great power to not to be reckoned with. Something that just came with his image. But there was reason to this character. He developed what is known as the “madman” theory. This took place during the vietnam war, and was created in efforts to scare the vietnamese into believing that Richard Nixon was willing to do anything to put the war to an end. Implying that he would be “crazy” enough to potentially drop nuclear weapons. This is an example of Using fear politics in the light of a common good, Nixon wanted the Vietnamese to back off in protection of his country. In this circumstance it was however unsuccessful as the vietnamese called the bluff correctly. A following Instance where Richard Nixon imposed fear was during his second campaign and was targeted at the people of america. He stated that “Crimes of violence in the United States have almost doubled in recent years,”. He did this to bring more attention and fear to the subject, claiming that he was the one who could change it for the better. “This Time Vote Like Your Whole World Depended on It.” he claimed in an effort to scare people into his votes. This however thankfully was unsuccessful and did not win him the …show more content…

Who shares many similarities with Richard Nixon's strategies, only on a much larger scale. To start with During his campaign, Trump consistently bashed foreign immigrants claiming that they are a threat and only bring terrorism and crime into our country “Countless innocent American lives have been stolen because our politicians have failed in their duty to secure our borders,”. This sparked fear for americans due to the many recent terrorist acts occurring all over the world. President Trump made people feel unsafe and ensured that he had the solution, meaning banning immigrants. Unfortunately many people fell into this deception in fear of their countries well being. This shows how manipulative Trump is, and that he will do anything to get his way. Even if it means exploiting other races and using serious subjects to scare people into voting for him. Unfortunately for us this worked out very well and many fearful americans joined his following for change. Ironically it is his decisions now that he is in office that are making people feel unsafe. President Trump and Kim Jong Un have been exchanging threats of conflict for a while now. But Similar to what Nixon did years ago, Trump is trying to appear as the wildcard. The one who will do anything to protect his country even if it means having to destroy North Korea. He sent these threats out via tweets for the world to see, and it