The Trump campaign could ditch its 'Keep America Great' slogan, report says, as the US is ravaged by COVID-19, job losses, and anti-racism protests
- President Donald Trump's reelection campaign is considering ditching the slogan "Keep America Great," according to The Washington Post.
- The slogan appears on hats, flags and other merchandise but is being superseded by potential alternatives, The Post reported.
- The reported shift away from the triumphalist message comes amid the coronavirus crisis, widespread protest at police brutality, and a suffering economy.
The campaign to reelect Donald Trump is testing alternatives to the "Keep America Great" slogan, according to The Washington Post.
The shift to a less triumphant message follows the coronavirus pandemic and widespread protests at the death of George Floyd.
The recent economic downturn has also taken the shine off the slogan, as a strong economy had been one of the president's key campaign messages.
According to sources cited by the Post, alternative ways of persuading the public are being discussed by key players within the campaign.
High-level officials including Jared Kushner and campaign manager Brad Parscale met on June 4 to discuss alarming poll numbers from swing states, and how Trump can best put his case to voters, a person familiar with the meeting told The Post.
Also at the meeting were Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, campaign deputy Bill Stepien, as well as pollsters.
Adopted in January 2017, "Keep America Great" has been one of Trump's key reelection slogans, headlining his rallies and appearing on baseball caps and flags for sale on the campaign's official merchandising.
It's a follow-on from the "Make America Great Again" slogan of the 2016 campaign.
But more recently, the following slogans have been in rotation:
- "Transition to Greatness!" first appeared on May 7, according to The Atlantic, soon after the administration admitted that coronavirus deaths may surpass 100,000. Joe Biden's top political strategist Mike Donilon told The Post that this was an "an admission of failure," and evidence of Trump "scrambling."
- "The Best Is Yet to Come" was the slogan used during an ad aired during the Super Bowl in February. The slogan is a Frank Sinatra lyric that also appears on his gravestone, according to The Post.
- "Great American Comeback" Kellyanne Conway used this phrase in June to claim on Fox News that the US is recovering "ahead of schedule" after a positive jobs report in May.
- "Promises Made, Promises Kept" has long been an important slogan to the campaign, The Post reported, and promiseskept.com is the URL of the official website to emphasize the president's achievements in office. However, the economic figures posted there — easily one of the president's strongest campaigning points — date from prior to the pandemic, The Post reported.
Business Insider has approached the Trump campaign for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.