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Raw Investigates: Reagan and Trump - A Comparative Analysis of Rhetoric, Media, and Policy

  //politics-government.news-articles.net/content/ .. ative-analysis-of-rhetoric-media-and-policy.html
  Published in Politics and Government on Monday, December 8th 2025 at 5:49 GMT by The Raw Story
      Locale: UNITED STATES

Summarizing “Raw Investigates: Reagan and Trump” – A Deep Dive into Two Iconic Presidencies

The Raw Story feature “Raw Investigates: Reagan and Trump” offers a comprehensive, side‑by‑side exploration of how Ronald W. Reagan and Donald J. Trump leveraged rhetoric, media, and policy to shape the United States during two pivotal eras. The piece is structured as a comparative narrative, with a core emphasis on the parallels that have surprised scholars, journalists, and voters alike. Throughout, the author stitches in a handful of external references (links to the Reagan Library archive, a New York Times retrospective on Reagan’s “evil empire” speech, and a recent Washington Post piece on Trump’s 2016 campaign strategies) to give the reader richer context and archival authenticity.

1. The Rhetorical Blueprint: From “Evil Empire” to “Make America Great Again”

The article opens by spotlighting Reagan’s 1983 State of the Union address, where he famously branded the Soviet Union the “evil empire.” The piece notes that this stark moral framing—presenting the U.S. as a defender of freedom against a global villain—was a masterclass in how to galvanize public opinion. Raw Story’s author then points readers toward a New York Times analysis that breaks down the speech’s linguistic patterns, showing a deliberate use of short, punchy sentences that mirrored the cadence of televised news broadcasts.

Fast forward thirty‑seven years, and Trump’s 2016 “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) slogan is identified as the modern incarnation of Reagan’s moral storytelling. The article draws a parallel between Reagan’s “America first” ethos and Trump’s emphasis on protecting domestic jobs from foreign competition. By linking to a Washington Post profile of Trump’s early campaign messaging, the piece illustrates how both leaders cultivated a vision of a restored national greatness, framed through a binary struggle between “the powerful elites” and “the American people.”

2. Media Manipulation: From the TV Boom to the Digital Arena

Raw Story spends a significant portion of the article comparing Reagan’s pioneering use of television to Trump’s mastery of social media. Reagan’s campaign was the first to harness the then‑emerging cable news network to broadcast “The First Family” as a brand, with regular “Reagan’s Weekend” broadcasts that blended policy discussion with personal warmth. The author references a 1980 PBS documentary that archives Reagan’s TV appearances, underscoring how the medium amplified his optimistic, folksy persona.

Trump’s approach, in contrast, was to bypass traditional outlets entirely. The article links to a scholarly article in New Media & Society that analyzes Trump’s Twitter feed, revealing an unprecedented use of “fire‑hose” messaging: brief, often incendiary statements posted at a high frequency that kept him in the public eye while sidestepping mainstream fact‑checking. The piece highlights that both men understood the importance of controlling the narrative, but they did so with the tools available to them—Reagan through carefully scripted TV appearances, Trump through real‑time, unfiltered digital posts.

3. Policy Parallels: Economics, Foreign Affairs, and Social Issues

The author does not stop at rhetoric and media; the article also scrutinizes policy outcomes. The piece begins with an overview of Reaganomics—tax cuts, deregulation, and a hawkish defense posture aimed at “stirring the economy.” An embedded link to the Reagan Library’s 1982 budgetary report provides hard data on how the federal deficit ballooned while GDP grew, a point the author uses to explain why Reagan’s economic legacy remains divisive.

Trump’s economic policy is framed as a continuation of that free‑market ideology, but with a sharper focus on protectionism. Raw Story cites a Bloomberg article that outlines Trump’s 2017 tax overhaul, showing how the administration lowered the corporate tax rate to 21% while increasing tariffs on China. The author draws a line between Reagan’s “peace through strength” doctrine and Trump’s “America first” foreign policy, using the 2018 Paris Climate Agreement withdrawal as a case study.

Social policy is another area of comparison. The article notes Reagan’s conservative stance on abortion, citing a link to a 1987 New York Times editorial that documented his support for the Hyde Amendment. Trump’s 2020 Supreme Court nomination of Justices Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh is used to highlight the long‑term conservative shifts initiated under Reagan. The piece juxtaposes the two leaders’ handling of LGBTQ+ issues, showing Reagan’s opposition to the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and Trump’s administration’s stance on military service restrictions.

4. Public Perception: From “A Beautiful Day” to “America’s First”

The heart of the article is perhaps its discussion of how both presidents were perceived in their own time and by subsequent generations. The author references a Pew Research Center poll from 1984 that showcased Reagan’s soaring approval ratings—almost 70% at his peak—and compares it to the polarized approval ratings during Trump’s final term, where even the highest points hovered around 50%. The piece uses a series of infographics from the Washington Post to illustrate how both men could rally massive crowds, yet their speeches also deepened partisan divides.

5. Legacy and Lessons

In closing, Raw Story offers a reflective analysis of what the Reagan–Trump comparison teaches modern politics. The article suggests that the rise of charismatic, media‑savvy presidents has become a template for future campaigns: the importance of a clear narrative, the use of emergent technology for mass mobilization, and the ability to frame policy in moral terms. It ends by linking to a 2024 academic review in Political Communication that evaluates the long‑term impact of both presidencies on American political culture.

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