"Make America Great Again" is an American political slogan and movement most recently popularized by Donald Trump during his successful 2016 presidential campaign. "MAGA" is also used to refer to Trump's political base, or to an individual or group of individuals from within that base. The slogan became a pop culture phenomenon, seeing widespread use and spawning numerous variants in the arts, entertainment and politics, being used by both those who support and those who oppose Trump's presidency. Originally used by Ronald Reagan as a campaign slogan in his 1980 presidential campaign, it has since been described as a loaded phrase. Multiple journalists, scholars, and commentators have called the slogan racist, regarding it as dog-whistle politics and coded language.
A button from Ronald Reagan's 1980 presidential campaign
Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump at the White House in 1987, while the former was serving his second term as president
Donald Trump wearing a "Make America Great Again" cap during his 2016 presidential campaign
Trump popularized the slogan "Make America Great Again" by stitching it onto his widely distributed cap.
Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign
The 2016 presidential campaign of Donald Trump was formally launched on June 16, 2015, at Trump Tower in New York City. Trump was the Republican nominee for President of the United States in the 2016 election, having won the most state primaries, caucuses, and delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. He chose Mike Pence, the sitting governor of Indiana, as his vice presidential running mate. On November 8, 2016, Trump and Pence were elected president and vice president of the United States. Trump's populist positions in opposition to illegal immigration and various trade agreements, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, earned him support especially among voters who were male, white, blue-collar, working class, and those without college degrees. Many voters in the Rust Belt, who gave Trump the electoral votes needed to win the presidency, switched from supporting Bernie Sanders to Trump after Hillary Clinton won the Democratic nomination.
Trump at an early campaign event in New Hampshire on July 16, 2015
Trump signs the Republican loyalty pledge promising to support the candidate nominated by the party and to not run as a third-party candidate, if he failed to clinch the nomination.
Trump and supporters attend a rally in Muscatine, Iowa, in January 2016
Anti-Trump protesters outside arena as Chicago rally is shut down on March 11, 2016