Trump goes his own way in historic election campaign

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WASHINGTON, NOV 7 (AFP/APP/DNA):He grooved onstage to the Village People, Elvis and Pavarotti, but one omission from Donald Trump’s campaign soundtrack could have defined his extraordinary third bid for the White House — Frank Sinatra’s “My Way”.

The only campaigns that would likely come close to the unconventional Republican tycoon’s 2024 run — for chaos, scandal and norm breaking — are his own previous tilts at the US presidency.

“Trump’s campaign style is raw, unapologetic, and far from the typical playbook — and that’s exactly why it works,” said Adrienne Uthe, a strategic communications expert and the founder of public relations consultancy Kronus Communications.

“He knows his audience and doesn’t try to impress the mainstream. Instead, he doubles down on speaking directly to people who feel unseen by traditional politics. Critics call him reckless, but he has mastered the art of cutting through the noise.”

One of the era’s most polarizing public figures, Trump has only cemented his status as a titan of 21st century politics, winning a huge mandate to be the first former president to be re-elected since Grover Cleveland 140 years ago.

It is a stunning turnaround given that Trump 2.0 isn’t markedly different from the man who left office in disgrace in 2021 after refusing to accept defeat to Joe Biden and inspiring a riot at the Capitol.

As commentators praised his latest opponent Kamala Harris for a professional, well-run campaign, Trump was berated for a reversion to undisciplined outbursts during rambling speeches seen as repellent to moderates.

Columnists fulminated that he was alienating Hispanics and angering women with rallies that seethed with racially-divisive language and crude comments about his women political foes.