US president observes five rules Expert explains why Trump always comes out on top in the end

Donald Trump communicates differently to traditional politicians. French criminologist Alain Bauer has analyzed the rhetoric of the incumbent US president - and explains the rules that govern his communication style.

The incumbent US President Donald Trump has polarized people with his communication style for years. In his book "Trump - The Power of Words", French criminologist Alain Bauer examines how Trump uses language to achieve political impact.

In an interview with blue News, the professor emeritus of the Conservatoire national des Arts et Métiers in Paris explains the mechanisms behind this rhetoric.

Bauer says that the idea for his book came about because he was surprised by the many psychological remote diagnoses in the media and talk shows.

He therefore tried not to judge Trump from a distance, but to analyze him scientifically. His investigation was based on concrete statements and texts - starting with a full-page newspaper advertisement that Trump published back in 1987.

Bauer found that Trump's earlier formulations were sometimes much more complex. In the 1980s and 1990s, his vocabulary was often more sophisticated than it is today.

But Bauer does not see this as a real change. "This is not a transformation," he says. "Rather, Trump uses a double language - adapted to different target groups."

Depending on the audience, he changes his tone, choice of words and style of expression. "There are several Trumps in Donald Trump," says Bauer. "They exist simultaneously."

The influence of a mentor

According to Bauer, the lawyer Roy Cohn had a decisive influence on Trump's communication style. He initially represented Trump's father and later became an important mentor for Donald Trump.

Cohn prepared Trump for the political stage and taught him communication principles that he had previously learned while working for US Senator Joseph McCarthy.

Bauer describes five basic rules of this strategy. The most important one is never to apologize. In addition, Trump must always claim to have won - no matter what. The third iron rule: Trump must occupy the media space as completely as possible at all times and take up a lot of space. It is also essential for the US president to rely on a strong network. Bauer defines the fifth rule as Trump constantly attacking and never retreating. Verbal exchanges are essential for Trump's strategy.

Reality TV as a political tool

According to Bauer, Trump has also transferred the logic of reality shows into politics. "He has imported the reality TV culture into political communication," says the expert in the interview. His experience from the TV show "The Apprentice" helped him to steer attention in a targeted manner.

The president's style is deliberately simple and provocative. "The language is popular, provocative, sometimes digressive and often insulting," says Bauer. It is often reminiscent of conversations between friends in a bar. This is precisely how Trump reaches certain sections of the population. "Donald Trump is a populist who speaks to the people," says Bauer.

Trump specifically appeals to those groups of voters who locate themselves between the conservative south of the USA and the former industrial regions in the Midwest.

Criticism of historical comparisons

Some commentators compare Trump's rhetoric with that of authoritarian politicians from history. Bauer, however, considers such comparisons to be unhelpful.

In his view, they distract from the real point: it is crucial to understand why Trump's communication strategy is attractive to many people.