Lai Ching-te embraces T-shirts and works on public image for presidential campaign

Lai Ching-te embraces T-shirts and works on public image for presidential campaign

2023-06-27

Vice President Lai Ching-te is working hard on his public image as his presidential campaign gathers pace. Lai is known for formal dressing, having a penchant for suits and ties which rarely wavers. But lately he’s started to dabble with more informal outfits, in an effort to reach out to younger voters. FTV spoke to DPP lawmaker Cheng Yun-peng for his take on the image issue.

Vice President Lai Ching-te is properly attired in an apron to make zongzi with a group of cooks. It’s an unusually casual look for Lai, whose public outfits have historically stuck close to the suit-and-tie, even if he took on a steward’s role.

Cheng Yun-peng
DPP lawmaker
On the road, Tainan lawmaker Lin Chun-hsien said to me, “Yun-peng, you’re a member of the legislature, you have to wear a suit and tie.” I said, “Why?” He said, “Premier Lai Ching-te saw me in an interview once, and called me straight away to tell me, “If you’re interviewed, you must wear a suit and tie. Otherwise you don’t look like a legislator.” He said he feared for me to get a call from Lai, saying, “You’re a member of the party caucus, where’s your tie?!”

But Lai’s buttoned-up image has distanced him from young people. Concerned supporters have been urging Lai for some time to drop the formalities and put on a T-shirt for once.

Lai Ching-te
Vice president
I used to be a doctor. And when I was in the hospital, or at academic conferences, or having meetings as a lawmaker or mayor or premier, I had to attend lots of formal occasions. And I had to wear a suit for all of them – otherwise I would secretly feel different from everyone else.

Lai has decided to take up his friends’ advice. In recent videos he was seen sporting a polo shirt, and on outings with dignitaries, a suit – but no tie. And a T-shirt was the choice for a “Friends who Rely on Lai” event. But other DPP lawmakers say that dressing as the real you is all that matters in the end.

Cheng Yun-peng
DPP lawmaker
Some people might think it’s boring. But actually I think this is the image that behooves any head of state. And that’s what really marks Lai Ching-te out from the two other presidential candidates – he’s the most reliable candidate.

DPP lawmaker Cheng Yun-peng doesn’t want Lai to change. He thinks a statesmanlike image is not to be confused with stuffiness.

搶年輕選票不穿西裝? 鄭運鵬:賴清德應該做自己

2023-06-27

賴清德搶年輕選票，不少人建議他，要從穿著下手，不要老是穿西裝打領帶，民進黨立委鄭運鵬透露，賴清德過去不只要求自己穿西裝，連在電視上看到子弟兵受訪沒打領帶，都會特別打電話去提醒。不過鄭運鵬認為，民眾選總統，會挑選的就是這種個性嚴謹、值得信賴的人，賴清德應該做自己，在文宣上凸顯嚴謹的一面。

穿圍裙和客家婆婆媽媽包粽子，這樣隨興的賴清德過去不常見，民進黨立委透露，以往他要公開現身，穿西裝打領帶是標準配備，還會不時當起糾察隊。

[[立委(民) 鄭運鵬]]
“台南的林俊憲委員在路邊跟我講說，運鵬，你在立法院當幹部，你要穿西裝打領帶，我說為什麼，他說賴(清德)院長有一次，看到他新聞訪問後，馬上他就接到賴院長的電話，跟他講說俊憲，如果你受訪的話，一定要穿西裝打領帶，才像是一位立委，林俊憲就跟我說，他很怕賴院長會打電話給我，說你當黨團幹部怎麼沒有打領帶”

不過，這樣的嚴謹形象，卻成為他和年輕人之間的距離，支持者難免心急，頻頻陳情要他改變形象穿T恤。

[[副總統賴清德]]
“因為我過去當醫生在醫院或參加學術會議，又或者是當立委開會，當市長，當行政院長，必須要參加很多正式的場合，都必須要穿西裝，否則的話我私底下跟大家都一樣”

賴清德從善如流，近來會穿POLO衫錄影片，和外賓出遊時只穿西裝不打領帶，也曾穿T恤出席信賴之友會活動，不過，自家立委建議，做自己最重要。

[[立委(民) 鄭運鵬]]
“有些人會覺得這樣子好像很無聊，其實我會認為這個才是任何一個國家的元首該有的形象，這也是賴清德跟其他兩位總統候選人最不一樣的地方，還是賴清德最能夠讓人家信賴”

鄭運鵬喊話，要賴清德別變成另一個人，嚴謹和古板未必畫上等號，如何凸顯優勢，才是賴陣營的最大難題。

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Chiu Hsien-chih
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It wasn’t just the black-box negotiations that drove 500,000 people out onto the streets. The train of thought was quite clear. The problem was the China factor. Don’t distort the protest movement just because you need to bring in deep-blue votes.

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This exhibition is about historical memories and also about the way those historical memories are embodied as a text or object, and how it is being circulated in our contemporary living world. Some of the historical memories can be a social or political event, but can also be a very personal experience.

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