The History of the 'Law and Order' Term Used by Trump

The Daisy ad — aired only once in the 1964 election

The Daisy Ad (or "Peace, Little Girl" ad) aired only once during the 1964 election, from the campaign of incumbent President Lyndon Johnson — but it went viral before "viral" existed, and it proved effective. Watch the ad and see the fear in the little girl's eyes about nuclear war.

Johnson's opponent was Barry Goldwater, the Republican senator from Arizona. Goldwater was the first to invoke the "law and order" slogan to win an election — talking of using nuclear weapons in Vietnam, abolishing social welfare programs, and giving more power to the police. But when Johnson promised to keep American boys safe at home rather than sending troops to Vietnam, voters responded. Johnson won in a landslide: 44 of 50 states, with 61.1% of the popular vote — still the highest share ever. Goldwater's "law and order" shouts fell flat in 1964. But the slogan would return with Ronald Reagan.

Reagan had helped Goldwater with the "A Time for Choosing" speech for the 1964 campaign. After Goldwater's loss, Reagan ran for governor of California in 1966 — and used law and order again, this time reframed. Instead of order against racial and social unrest at home, the speech's target was communism:

"The Founding Fathers knew a government can't control the economy without controlling people... You and I are told we must choose between a left or right, but I suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There is only an up or down. Up to man's age-old dream — the maximum of individual freedom consistent with order — or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism."

Reagan's 1966 campaign had two themes: sending "welfare bums" back to work and cleaning up "the mess at Berkeley"

Where the slogan failed Goldwater, it succeeded for Reagan. Running against incumbent governor Pat Brown in 1966, Reagan's two themes — "send the welfare bums back to work" and "clean up the mess at Berkeley" — won him the governorship with more than 57% of the vote.

The Berkeley Free Speech Movement, 1964

The slogan would be used again by presidential candidate Richard Nixon. Nixon's campaign made "law and order" a household phrase across the country. Voters were led to believe the nation was falling apart — the assassinations of Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King, urban riots. His political ads showed nervous women walking at night, fearful of assailants. His ads rested on racial divides.

George Wallace campaigning in 1968 (AP photo)

President Trump uses the slogan "Law and Order" frequently. In simple terms, it signals a tough stand against crime — synonymous with strict penalties, capital punishment, and three-strikes laws. At its core it is a right-leaning stance that emphasizes punishment over the underlying causes of crime.

Trump has led the nation to believe it is rife with lawlessness, appealing to voters' fears. He has repeatedly said, "There has to be some decorum," and "There has to be some law and order in our country." Like the men before him, he is using the slogan to his advantage to win the election.

Originally published July 2020.