Donald Trump, who wasted no time after the 2012 presidential election to pick his slogan for 2016, isn't waiting much longer when it comes to his reelection slogan.
He even (perhaps for show) calls his lawyer into the room to get the paperwork started. Check this out:
Halfway through his interview with The Washington Post, Trump shared a bit of news: He already has decided on his slogan for a reelection bid in 2020.“Are you ready?” he said. “ ‘Keep America Great,’ exclamation point.”“Get me my lawyer!” the president-elect shouted.Two minutes later, one arrived.“Will you trademark and register, if you would, if you like it — I think I like it, right? Do this: ‘Keep America Great,’ with an exclamation point. With and without an exclamation. ‘Keep America Great,’ ” Trump said.“Got it,” the lawyer replied.That bit of business out of the way, Trump returned to the interview.
The whole thing is completely Trump for a couple reasons.
The first is that he can barely contain his affection for — and apparent desire to return to — political campaigning. This is a guy who is just days away from being sworn in as the 45th president, and he's already talking gleefully about the next campaign. (And if you don't think he's gleeful, read Tumulty's whole interview; it's really something.)
Granted, every politician has at least one eye on the next campaign at all times. They are in the survival business, and that means worrying about how what you do will be perceived next week, next year or even four years from now. But Trump takes this to another level. He basically continued the campaign even after it was over, going on a “thank you tour” that at times seemed to be more about Trump keeping up the fight rather than uniting the country.
(Before taking the inaugural oath, he even reportedly already had plans to keep a campaign office open throughout his first term to work on his reelection.)
The second reason it's so Trump is that, mere days from taking office, Trump has already determined that in four years time, he will have Made America Great Again. He's banking on it without having passed one bill or signed one executive order.
Which, coming from Trump, isn't shocking. He has promised his voters the world and then some. And he did so again while explaining the new slogan.
“I never thought I'd be giving [you] my expression for four years [from now]," he said. “But I am so confident that we are going to be, it is going to be so amazing. It's the only reason I give it to you. If I was, like, ambiguous about it, if I wasn't sure about what is going to happen — the country is going to be great.”
There are things that are outside a president's control, of course — as President Obama will attest (and has attested). External factors will impact America's greatness for the next four years, however you define “greatness.”
But never mind all that: Trump is ready to put the new slogan on paper . . . if not on a hat quite yet.
For good measure (with an assist from Philip Bump's great Trump hat generator), here's what it'll look like on the actual hats, sans exclamation mark:
Not quite as symmetrical as “Make America Great Again" -- but far be it from us to doubt the incoming president's eye for political slogans.