The United States of America elected a new president last week. Donald Trump prevailed against his opponent Kamala Harris and can now once again move into the White House. As president, he can expect a handsome salary - and there is also a chance that the ongoing criminal proceedings against him will be dropped, meaning that Donald Trump may not have to fear criminal prosecution, at least during his presidency.
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Long before Donald Trump entered the presidential race for the Republicans, he was also once a member of the Democratic Party. What's more, he is even said to have donated money to his later opponent Kamala Harris. This was reported by the American news services SBS World News and CNN.
Donald Trump's mysterious political past
According to the sources cited, Donald Trump has a rather chequered political past upon closer inspection. The current Republican is said to have changed his party affiliation a total of five times. Although he began his political career with the Republicans in 1987, he joined the Independence Party in New York in 1999.
At the time, this was a member organization of the Reform Party, for which Donald Trump declared himself a potential presidential candidate in the US elections in 2000. However, he withdrew from the race for the presidency after just four months. Shortly afterwards, in 2001, he left the Independence Party again - and registered as a Democrat.
Donald Trump was once a Democrat
Yes, Donald Trump used to be a Democrat—for 8 years. During this time, he had some interesting thing to say about the party. In 2004, he said in an interview with CNN that he 'identifies more as a Democrat.' He added:
In many cases, I probably identify more as Democrat
It seems that the economy is doing better under the Democrats than under the Republicans.
We've had some very good economies under both the Democrats and the Republicans - but we've had some pretty bad disasters under the Republicans.
Given the harsh rhetoric he has adopted for the Democratic party today, the comment that surprises many. However, his support for the Democrats was relatively short-lived.
In 2009, Donald Trump became a member of the Republican Party again for two years before becoming a non-partisan voter in 2011. It was not until 2012 that he returned to the Republican Party for good, where he has remained ever since, without exception.
Why has Trump jumped shipping so much during his lifetime? Well, according to senior researcher in international and security affairs at The Australia Institute, a public policy thing tank, he goes where he can have access to 'power' and 'elite circles'. She explained, as per SBS News:
He's always been pretty desperate to be validated by the American elite, as often as disdainful as he is of them, he wants access to that … so every time I think Trump has changed, you can explain that change by that desire for power, and elite access.
It's also more broadly an indication that Trump doesn't really have an ideology, he will swing to wherever he thinks it's politically convenient to him.
This article has been translated from Oh!MyMag DE.
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Sources used:
SBS News: Donald Trump was once a registered Democrat and party donor. So why did he jump ship?
CNN: Trump in '04: 'I probably identify more as Democrat'
