Option #2 Comparative Option
The 2016 presidential election had one very reoccurring theme that both candidates used to their full advantage, fear. Fear is one of the most influential emotions that can really dominate the way someone thinks. In Hillary Clinton’s ad titled “Unfit” Hillary Clinton has multiple republican and conservative experts state that they are very concerned of a Donald Trump presidency. Throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton and her staff kept emphasizing the fact that Donald Trump does not have the right temperament to be in the White House. The ad “Unfit” does a great job of feeding into people’s fears, and emphasizing the fact that Donald Trump is not the right man for the job by showing experts of his own party speaking out against him.
The first seconds of the ad starts off by showing a picture of Hillary Clinton and an aid looking at a piece of paper in a very concerned manner. They seem very serious which in turn foreshadows a very serious ad. Also, the picture of Hillary Clinton and her aid is in black and white. This makes the whole scene much more dramatic. Hillary Clinton is standing right in the middle of the picture, so right away, our eyes go straight to her. This emphasizes the fact that this ad is about Hillary Clinton. The next scene is transitioned with the accompaniment of a slow piano playing. It seems like a scene out of a horror movie. Next, the ad shows the White House at night time. The White House looks very creepy, almost like an old haunted mansion. Within the first four seconds of the ad, we can see that Hillary Clinton has made it clear that the priority of this ad is to scare people by having them imagine what a trump presidency would look like.
The first person to speak in the ad is Michael Hayden, former CIA director under George W. Bush. Hayden specifically says that due to some of the things that Donald trump has said during his campaign, he would be very “frightened” of a Donald Trump presidency. The next scene shows Donald Trump for the first time, but it only shows his back as he is walking away. This can symbolize many things. For starters, it symbolizes that Donald Trump would turn his back on the American people if he becomes president because he is portrayed to be a very selfish and arrogant person. Also, Trump is seen walking away in slow motion which dramatizes the clip even more. The following expert Hillary Clinton uses in the ad against Donald Trump is Gillian Turner, Former National Security Council under President George W. Bush and President Obama. Gillian Turner brings up the topic of nuclear weapons which is one of the most frightening things to think about. She states that Donald trump has suggested the use of nuclear weapon against our Western European allies. The big goal of this ad is to strike fear into people’s hearts, and the best way to do that is with speaking about the possibility of a nuclear war.
The ad goes on to bring out a few other prominent republican experts to speak out against Donald Trump. Also, the ad shows pictures and small clips of Donald Trump. But these are not ordinary pictures and clips. The screen turns black and a picture of Donald Trump comes up looking rather nervous. This backs up their claim that Donald Trump is not the right person for the job. It suggests that he might crumble under pressure and do something unthought-of like starting a nuclear war. Hillary Clinton and her staff do a great job of using Donald Trump’s own party members and experts against him. By using experts, The Clinton campaign is able to legitimize their claim that Donald Trump is “unfit” for the highest office in the land. The objective of the ad definitely worked its magic on me, after watching the ad I was definitely afraid of the future President Trump.