The Apology: A close reading on political apologiesMain MenuTHE APOLOGYA close reading on todays political apologiesTrump's public apologyIntroductionThe art of the political apologyAnalyzing the objective of the political apologyImage repair theoryThe real objective of Trump's apologyWhat's the medium?History of the political apologyReview of where we have seen the public apology from american politicians beforeIt's not a craft, it's sincerityWhat an apology should beResponses to Trump's apologyTrump triumphsSomehow, people still voted Trump for presidentAvoiding this outcome in the future—How to become a critical thinkerThink twice about the messageWorks CitedDelaney Steeldc902622a29da2820197bfff1ad87b69a6164312Delaney Steel
Trump's "locker room banter"
12017-04-04T17:14:41-07:00Delaney Steeldc902622a29da2820197bfff1ad87b69a6164312168361Video of Trump bragging to Billy Bush about "grabbing women by the pussy." (video retrieved from The Hill)plain2017-04-04T17:14:41-07:00Delaney Steeldc902622a29da2820197bfff1ad87b69a6164312
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1media/170112_POL_trump.jpg.CROP.promo-xlarge2.jpg2017-04-04T17:45:14-07:00Trump's public apology29Introductionplain2017-04-19T20:25:43-07:00
On October 7, 2016, Donald Trump shared a public apology on his Facebook presidential campaign page, which was meant to address his inappropriate comments from a decade ago about sexually assaulting women. The “apology” was aired after a video was leaked early October 2016, where Trump was overheard bragging to TV personality Billy Bush about grabbing women by the "pussy" (00:01:24-00:01:28). I've placed quotes around the word apology because for the majority of Trump's statement, he gloats about what a wonderful person he has become, and rather than saying "sorry," he deflects attention to his opponent, Hillary Clinton, saying that she is “[running] our country into the ground." Furthermore, Trump exclaims that Hillary Clinton is the real bully for shaming her husband’s alleged sexual assault victims.
While reviewing his public apology, I will draw from academic sources to help analyze the real objective of Trump’s apology, the style, the channel he’s used to convey his message, and the effect of his apology. I will also demonstrate how Trump strategically diverts blame as a part of image repair theory. The overall purpose is to review politicians’ tendency to strategically manipulate their messages in public apologies to attain a positive image. I will also examine what an genuine apology should be, then I will then conclude with why manipulated political apologies are an issue.