Donald Trump loves, loves, loves the 1980s

(Image credit: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

published 2 January 2017

There was a lot to love — or maybe hate — about the 1980s. Walkmans. Bangles. Mullets. And … Donald Trump.

Yes, even 2017's president-elect can sometimes seem out of a different era (one with a lot more velour and perms). "Many of ... Trump's cultural touchstones, which he'd frequently name-drop at campaign rallies and on Twitter, were at their peak in the 1980s — the decade Trump's celebrity status rose in New York, Trump Tower was built, The Art of the Deal was published, and he first flirted with running for public office," The Associated Press reports.

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Much of Trump's political philosophy was formed in the 1980s too. In 1987 as he first floated running for president, he took out a full page ad wondering why the U.S. was "paying to defend countries that can afford to defend themselves." His frequent depictions of inner cities as dangerous and crime-ridden seem to to harken to the crack-plagued life of urban areas in the 1980s, more than the largely safer big cities of today.In The Art of the Deal, he voiced positions on trade he still holds today. That book, which made him a household name when it was published in 1987, also holds many of the principles that guided Trump's business career — and, decades later, his bombastic campaign for the White House. [The Associated Press]

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

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