In an age of internet skepticism, one would be forgiven for wondering if Photoshop is partially to blame for this image. Yet this photo is all too real and evidence of a billboard that’s currently sitting on the side of a Polk County highway. Rick Tyler, an independent candidate who hopes to represent Tennessee in the House of Representatives, erected this doozy because he wants to “Make America White Again.” Naturally, the slogan is reminiscent of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, and the resemblance is not accidental. Tyler idolizes the presumptive Republican nominee, which is something he has in common with millions of voters across the country.
Naturally, Tyler’s receiving plenty of attention for this stuntqueening move, although who knows how successful he will be in his election pursuits. Trump may be floundering lately, but he enjoyed many months of saying awful things like this, only to be rewarded in the primaries. Tyler described his own election strategy on his website, and he explains how Trump inspires him like no other candidate has done before. Tyler also thinks that these billboards will surely send him to victory:
“With its towering and massive stature, the billboard sign is difficult to ignore and its message comes across as authoritative and influential. For these reasons we are confident that a widespread and creative billboard advertising game plan could go a long way toward making the Rick Tyler For Congress candidacy both viable and a force to be reckoned with. Clearly we are in uncharted waters, in that there has never been a candidacy like this in modern political history. Of great significance, as well, is the reality of the Trump phenomenon and the manner in which he has loosened up the overall spectrum of political discourse.”
Tyler believes that Trump’s influence is changing the country, and that’s certainly one way of describing the situation. He also pays tribute to Ann Coulter and the notion that 1960s-inspired immigration policies have done nothing but send the United States careening towards destruction. Well, he’s consistent at least. The corresponding Twitter hashtag on this subject is also about as civilized as one would expect.
The candidate also spoke with WRCB Chattanooga to discuss why America needs his campaign slogan. Tyler believes that everyone feels the same way but is just too afraid to say so.