TOW #9: Donald Trump’s win will make Brexit more painful

Donald Trump’s win will make Brexit more painful

             This article discusses the recent presidential election that saw Donald Trump elected president of the United States, and how his victory will affect international business for the both the United States and United Kingdom. The publisher of this editorial was Britain’s The Economist, who has been ranked the most trusted news outlet in the world by Business Insider. Being an outlet based in the UK, their bias in the United States’ politics is minimal compared to America’s counterparts.

              In late June, 2016, the residents of the United Kingdom woke up to alarming news, they had seceded from the European Union in an event soon to be known as “Brexit.” To many, this was a sign of impending doom. Britain would need to find new trading partners, the Pound would lose value, and investments would slow. The reality turned out to not be as dramatic as predicted, at least not yet. However, on the morning of Wednesday, November 9^th, Americans woke up to a similar feeling. Donald Trump, who has called himself “Mr. Brexit”, was elected president. Now the terror that flowed through Britain in June is back. This article appeals to the residents of Britain and explains the likely impact Trump will have on trade between the US and the UK. In the concluding paragraphs, the article speaks directly to Theresa May, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, about how to handle the situation with Britain’s interests in mind.

              The most obvious rhetorical device is the extended metaphor between Trump’s election and Britain leaving the EU, and how the aftermath affected their countries. Other comparisons are seen when the author compares relatively inexperienced Donald Trump to Hillary Clinton, who they describe as n “instinctive Anglophile”, implying that a victory for Clinton would have been better for Britain. This idea is further backed up with logic when the author references Trump’s expressed loathing of foreign trade to show how Britain is likely to lose business with the United States. The rhetoric in this article is effective because it follows such a logical path.