In recent months, President Trump has been vocal about his disdain for “cancel culture,” even going so far as to criticise Democrats at the Republican National Convention of limiting free expression.
Nicholas Sandmann, a student at Covington Catholic, and Mark and Patricia McCloskey, who held weapons at protesters outside their home, were among those presented by the GOP as “victims” of cancel culture.
G.O.P. Is Energized, But ‘Trump Cancel Culture’ Poses a Threat
Trump said as he won the Republican nomination at the Republican National Convention, “The purpose of cancel culture is to make decent Americans live in terror of being fired, expelled, shamed, humiliated, and driven from society as we know it.”
While running for office in 2016, the president marketed himself as the “politically incorrect” candidate, yet he has a track record of similar behaviour.
Can you Define “Cancel Culture” For Me?
Many people question the existence of a distinct “cancel culture” and instead argue that holding people accountable for their acts is enough to qualify as such.
People who advocate for a consumer boycott may face accusations of “cancelling” when they try to get others to stop buying their product or service because of their beliefs or conduct. Also cancelling is when someone has a significant social media following publicly criticises you.
The word “cancelling” is used to indicate the same thing in both cases: the elimination of a target.
Trump and his followers, for instance, claimed that liberals were attempting to shut down Goya because of the company’s CEO’s support for Trump.
The effort to rename military bases that once bore the names of Confederate generals was another example of cancelling in Trump’s view.
The Trump team has claimed that the criticism and felony charges levelled against the gun-toting couple who pointed their rifles at Black Lives Matter demonstrators outside their home were an attempt to silence them.
Due to the administration’s anti-police attitude, Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany incorrectly stated that the popular kids’ show PAW Patrol had been cancelled.
At a campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June, Trump said, “The unhinged left-wing mob is trying to vandalise our history, desecrate our monuments, our beautiful monuments, tear down our statues, and punish, cancel, and persecute anyone who does not conform to their demands for absolute and total control.”
The president has exploited his position, especially Twitter, to attack people and has advocated for boycotts and the termination of his detractors.
Some of Trump’s “cancellations” are listed below.
Goodyear
The White House claimed that the criticism of Ivanka Trump’s promotion of Goya was a plot to shut down the firm. After failing to get Goodyear to change its dress code, Trump tried attacking the company himself in August by telling people not to buy its tyres.
“The company GOODYEAR has imposed a ban on MAGA hats, so you shouldn’t buy their tyres. Save a lot of money on much superior tyres.” President Trump updated his Twitter account.
He seemed to acknowledge that to be his intent: “This is typical behaviour for Democrats on the far left. We can play this game together, and we should get started right away.”
In the same interview, Trump hinted that he might approve of replacing the Goodyear tyres on his presidential limousine, prompting allegations that he was engaging in the cancel culture he claims to abhor.
Goodyear issued a statement saying it had a policy against employees wearing political apparel, including Trump’s famous “Make America Great Again” hats.
