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Top 10 TED Talks on Donald Trump

Some of the most interesting opinions and perspectives on politics have come from TED Talks. Check out the ten best TED Talks on Donald Trump!

By Jesse KinneyPublished 6 years ago 5 min read
Top Story - April 2018
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Ever since he announced his run for president, Donald Trump has been surrounded by controversy and the media. It seems that every time he says or does anything, it's all that's talked about until he decides to do it again, and then the cycle repeats. His antics have generated intense loyalty from some, while he's become so outlandish to others that some citizens have theorized that Trump may be Donald Duck. There have obviously been other theories and perspectives on the current president from a variety of different people.

TED Talks, for those who are unaware, began in 1984 as a nonprofit with the goal of spreading information and ideas about technology, entertainment, and design. Over the years, these TEDx Talks and events have expanded to cover almost every subject you can think of. The popularity of these talks have skyrocketed and have become a talking point in America and across the globe. Not only is the content interesting, but the TED conference format allows it to be engaging and easy to follow for the audience. It is only logical that there are a healthy portion of videos related to Trump and his life. I've narrowed down the ten best TED Talks on Donald Trump and formatted them below for your viewing pleasure. Take a look!

Sharyl Attkisson is an author and hosts the TV show Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson. Her talk centers around "Fake News," the term which gained mainstream popularity and became a rallying cry for right-wing supporters after Trump used it heavily during his presidential run. Attkisson digs into the phrase and goes over its history, famous instances of it occurring, and the roots of its creation. It is incredibly interesting and reveals that "Fake News" was coined in a place you wouldn't expect.

Going along with the news perspective, Ulrik Haagerup discusses journalism in general in today's society and how it may relate to Trump's rise. The former journalist is extremely qualified to explore this topic. Haagerup was as executive director at the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) for ten years. Later, he launched the Constructive Institute in Aarhus, Denmark, in 2017, which describes itself as a center of media that portrays news in a trustworthy and fair context. Haagerup clearly cares about the state of journalism today and the trust it has lost from the public. It is full of facts and figures you definitely were not aware of and may open your eyes as to why Trump became a phenomenon.

Given the topics of immigration, deportation and "The Wall" have all been popular issues in the reign of Trump, it's not surprise that one of the top TED Talks on Donald Trump deal with race. Omid Safi goes in-depth on the fear that he and many American Muslims hold since Trump was elected. He overviews American history and goes through the many hardships that minorities have faced in America and calls for change.

Best-selling author J.D. Vance is up next on my list of best TED Talks on Donald Trump. Vance penned Hillbilly Elegy, a tremendously successful book that described his rough childhood in southern Ohio. His family and town were plagued by problems including drug addiction, subpar schools, domestic violence, and hopelessness.

While this TED Talk does not mention Trump specifically, Vance discusses the problems facing a lot of people and families in the Rust Belt of America. Trump, to the surprise of many, won a good portion of the Rust Belt in the 2016 Presidential Election (Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin). Many voters connected to Trump's message and this video gives some insight into the problems of those areas, and will show you why some grabbed onto Trump's message.

Kate Imbach explores Trump through a different lens: his wife. Imbach analyzes Melania Trump's social media pages after the First Lady decided not to move into The White House with her husband after he was elected. She inspects photos of Melania, Melania and Baron, Melania and Donald, and Donald's presidential run. It's an artistic analysis that attempts to gain insights of Melania's mindset and relationship with her husband.

Of course one of the best TED Talks on Donald Trump deals with environmentalism. Scottish professor Alastair McIntosh breaks down Trump's decision to leave the Paris Accord on climate change. McIntosh covers a variety of topics as well, including Trump's family history, why he has such fervent followers, and his policies. It is researched, interesting, and a Scottish accent is always cool to listen to. Win win!

A conversation between Jonathan Haidt and Chris Anderson is next on the best TED Talks on Donald Trump. Jonathan David Haidt is an American social psychologist and teaches Ethical Leadership courses at the Stern School of Business. He explains to Anderson, who has been the TED Talks curator since 2002, how divided America currently is, and just how dangerous it can be in the long-term. Haidt explains the morality and psychology of the Republican-Democrat divide, differences between Europe and America, and where Trump fits into everything.

Javier A. Juarez earns the next place with his TEDx event on DACA and Trump's policy towards illegal immigrants. Javier is a DACA recipient and provides his unique perspective on what Trump's immigration policies and campaign promises. He compares his life to In Time, a movie starring Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried. In the film, everyone has a clock displayed on their arm that shows how much time they have left in life. Javier's journey is inspiring and raises awareness for him and the many others like him.

A controversial and hot-button topic regarding the Trump/Putin dynamic is explored in one of the best TED Talks on Donald Trump. This one is given to us by Michael McFaul, former U.S. ambassador to Russia under Barack Obama from 2012 to 2014. McFaul has extensive history with and has even been banned from entering Russia. McFaul brings a unique look to his TED Talk, and explains why he thinks Trump and Vladimir Putin share mutual respect towards each other, deeming it a "bromance."

Christopher Kabakis explores Trump's linguistics in the final TED Talk about Donald Trump. Kabakis explains how Trump talks, the words and slogans he uses, while comparing it to how people who share his beliefs use the same language. He applies this to the bigger arguments of globalists and populists and what separates the two. It almost acts as a case study of linguistics and the specific language used by both sides.

Fortunately for everyone, TED Talks post all of their videos into their TEDx Talks virtual library on Youtube. If you wanted to look more into Ted Talks regarding Trump, that is the best place to start. As Trump shows no signs of stopping his way of politics, and with the recent Stormy Daniels 60 Minutes interview coming out, I'm sure there will be more TED Talks regarding the president in the future.

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About the Creator

Jesse Kinney

Huge sports fan, primarily hockey and football. Also a big TV and movie fan. Recent Marist graduate writing about whatever interests me!

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