Donald Trump is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee — yes, let that sink in. Personally, I think either Billy Madison or Michael Scott can best summarize my feelings towards the GOP right now, but countless commentaries have already pointed out Trump's negatives; his authoritarian streak, his lousy policies, his juvenile personal attacks and his innumerable lies have all been exhaustively covered. It's important, then, to understand how we even got here — how did Trump emerge like a knight in shining armor, his golden toupee flying in the wind with his anti-establishment vassals on his right and left? Numerous factors have led to the rise of Trump, but three major conditions helped set the stage for this insane 2016 election.

1. Political Correctness

It just so happens that if a society denies reality long enough, people are going to get sick of it and they're going to push back. We live in an age where truth is false, men are women, terrorists are victims, illegals are legal, women are slaves, the West is evil, abortion is a sacrament, and climate change is the biggest threat to our national security. Anyone who remains skeptical or simply disagrees is drowned out by cries of "bigot," "racist," "homophobe," "sexist," "Islamophobe," "transphobe," "white privilege," "cisgender privilege" and any other made-up words academia will continue to churn out. Trump, with his plainspokenness and his ability to vocalize what many Americans can only say in their living room, has won much support from holding what appears to be common sense.

It's important, however, to mention that Trump doesn't necessarily promote political correctness — Ben Shapiro has notably pointed out the distinction between being politically incorrect and being a jerk. But while Trump serves as the current vehicle for political incorrectness, it has been a long-held position by those who have been silenced in the culture.

2. Obama's Presidency

While the administration's narrative says that America is full of rainbows, unicorns and elves passing out free government goodies, it doesn't take much to see that we're far from living in Fairyland. Obama's policy failures with the economy, with foreign affairs and with recent social issues only scratch the surface; administration scandals also include Fast & Furious, Benghazi, the NSA, the IRS, the DOJ, the recent Iran nuclear deal and their overall lack of transparency. Trump, with a candor rarely seen in presidential candidates, appears to many voters as more honest than Obama, as well as more interested in the success of America as a world power. The overall weakness of the Obama presidency has led to many seeing Trump's supposed "strength" as a way to compensate for the past seven years.

On top of it all, President Obama has seemingly steamrolled over a GOP Congress that met the president's demands with little to no friction. This lack of response from Congress, those whom GOP voters sent in 2010 and 2014 to change Washington, led to disillusionment and anger. This is why Trump accusing Washington of incompetence and corruption has been met with thunderous applause (even though he's served as a donor for decades).

3. The Leftist Media

The duty of the "Fourth Estate" is to hold the government accountable, but the blatant cover-ups made by the media to protect and promote the left have majorly contributed to Trump's meteoric rise. Yes, Fox News enjoys high ratings and serves as the major exception; however, if you were to watch ABC News, NBC News, CBS News, MSNBC, CNN or CNBC, or instead read The New York Times, The Washington Post, Vox, Salon or Buzzfeed, there would be little evidence of any objective news reporting. In fact, it's quite the contrary - these same media outlets frequently claim to be objective, and when anyone accuses them of holding leftist biases, they clutch their pearls and "doth protest too much," as seen in the recent Facebook controversy. It would be much easier to forgive the mainstream media if they admitted to their biases, but since they have refused to do so, many Trump supporters see this as yet another crusade against the "establishment" that also includes leftist Hollywood and leftist campuses.

For conservatives like myself who are stuck between a rock and a hard place this election year, Trump is no breath of fresh air. Instead, he reeks of big government and petty insults, but he is nevertheless a product of the left's in-your-face takeover of the culture. It's now imperative to address these large-scale issues that America faces, and this is admittedly no easy task in such a polarized political landscape. However, unless we want more Trumps and more Clintons, it's time to start talking.