Campaign Strategies and Developments
The campaign strategies of the two candidates were shaped by the fact that the electorate had an unfavorable view of both candidates. Both had lower approval ratings than any Democratic or Republican presidential nominee in modern history (Yourish 2016). Clinton was seen by many as dishonest, for reasons discussed previously, and as too much of an insider to lead fundamental change in the system, which many voters wanted. Views of Trump were even more negative than those of Clinton. He too was seen as dishonest, and he was faulted by many for lacking the experience and knowledge to be a successful president. His behavior during the nomination campaign, particularly his fiery statements and his insults of his opponents and others, led to perceptions that he was too rash, impulsive, and unpredictable. His supporters, however, saw him as someone who was decisive, bold, and clear about what he thought.
Trump's strategy was two-fold. First, he presented himself as a true outsider who was capable of changing what he argued was a failed political system that had caused the country to decline. He called for significant changes in a range of policies, with those dealing with trade, immigration, health care, and taxes, receiving the most emphasis, as is outlined in the section on campaign issues. As president, Trump claimed that he would make American great again.
The second part of Trump's strategy was to paint Clinton as dishonest and corrupt, labeling her "Crooked Hillary." At the Republican national convention, Trump's supporters chanted, "Lock her up." In the second debate, Trump even stated that as president he would appoint a special prosecutor in order to put Clinton in jail. The controversy surrounding Clintons use of a private email server as secretary of state was a central point in Republican arguments that she was dishonest. When FBI Director James Comey announced in July that the investigation into Clintons email practices led him to conclude that she had not engaged in behavior that would justify prosecution, but that she had been extremely careless in her handling of classified material, Republicans generally regarded that as indicating that she was essentially guilty even though she was going to escape criminal penalties.
Clinton's strategy focused on Trump's character traits, characterizing him as both dishonest and unqualified to be president. During the nomination and general election campaigns, Trump made many misleading, inaccurate, or completely false statements; these were used to show his dishonesty. Trumps refusal to release his tax returns was highlighted as evidence that he had something to hide about his business arrangements. The Clinton campaign used Trumps many bombastic and rash statements to argue that he was too impulsive and unpredictable to be trusted as president. Furthermore, Clinton claimed that Trump was proposing extremely conservative policies that would harm the nation.
While much of Clinton's campaign emphasized why people should not vote for Trump, she did argue that her experience and knowledge made her extremely qualified to be president and that her policy proposals were ones that were more likely to benefit most people. Clinton stressed that Trump's policies on taxes, health care, and regulation of business would benefit those who already were well off, while his policies on immigration and other social issues would divide rather than unite people. She also emphasized the diversity of her electoral coalition, reflected in her campaign slogan, Stronger Together.
As in past presidential elections, there were three televised presidential debates. Clinton was widely considered to be the winner of the first debate; she seemed more knowledgeable and poised, while Trump seemed unprepared and ill at ease. Post-debate polls showed that debate viewers thought that Clinton had performed better by a wide margin (Taylor 2016). The second debate also went badly for Trump, partly because an old video interview of Trump was made public prior to the debate; in that video, he made lewd comments and boasted about groping women. Even many Republican elected leaders found the video offensive. In the second debate, Clinton attacked Trump for that behavior, which Trump tried to dismiss as just talk. Post-debate polls had Clinton the winner by a substantial margin again. Trump performed better in the third debate, but Clinton still came out as the winner in the post-debate polls, although by a narrower margin this time (Agiesta 2016).
Near the end of the campaign, polls showed the race between Clinton and Trump narrowing (USA Today 2016). One factor that contributed to that development was an announcement by FBI Director Comey on October 28, eleven days before the election, that the investigation into Clintons emails was being reopened as a result of emails discovered in a separate investigation. Two days before the election, Comey stated that the review of the new emails had been completed and that there was no new evidence that was damaging to Clinton. Democrats felt that the damage had already been done, and many argued that Comey should not have made public such an issue so close to Election Day without more justification.