The 2016 Electoral Success of Donald Trump: An Insight Into American Social Values From 2004 to 2016

The 2016 electoral success of Donald Trump was a surprise to many. However, the international rise of far-right populist parties casts some doubt on this surprise. This thesis argues that Trump is not a political aberration, and instead a consequence of changing American values. Donald Trump's 2016 electoral success is due to the economic dislocations of globalization, deindustrialization, and the 2008 financial crisis, paired with a cultural backlash among social conservatives. These components are generators of resentment among a group that opens the door for populist rhetorical and authoritarian governing styles.