Politics: An Artificial Act

Throughout the history of politics, those who were able to succeed where the ones who most successfully garnered the interest of the public. Whether that be through deception, personality, or entertainment, politicians - meant to be honest and intelligent – have become actors, more focused on capturing an audience’s attention rather than their job to righteously serve a government.

Probably the most recognizable politician who relies on artifice more than their qualifications and sensible ideas is Donald Trump. Who else could spew such unreasonable and delusional thoughts and still win a presidency? During his presidential campaigns back in 2016, Trump effectively used artifice, deception, and radical opinions to capture the votes of many, declaring some ridiculously wild statements. This is just a small sample of what Trump said during first run for presidency: “I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and I’ll build them very inexpensively, I will build a great, great wall on our southern border. And I will have Mexico pay for that wall.”: “I don’t have a racist bone in my body.”: “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters.”. Clearly what most of what he says is blatantly false, but his strategy to garner votes and support cant go unnoticed. Trump has exposed the values of many Americans, as people would rather vote for someone they can be entertained by, meaning politicians don’t “need to be competent, sincere, or honest”. Trump, and many other politicians, both past and present, have shown the importance of artifice and public persona, with Trump truly encompassing the phrase “All publicity is good publicity”.

As seen throughout history, artifice is clearly a valuable skill to have, especially in politics. However, it can’t be fully relied upon. As seen in the 2018 presidential election, Trump, not having changed his tactics, lost to current President Joe Biden. What does this mean? It means that although deception and public interest is important, it doesn’t last, people will soon see through the lies and entertainment and focus in on the value provide to their country.