The Republican Presidential candidate debate which took place August 6 has many people riled up over the upcoming election; no one has managed to make the American public more riled up than Donald Trump. Many people are angry with the very prospect of Donald Trump running for President; he's "making a fool of our country" or, "that man'll make a laughing stock out of the Republican Party!" But despite everything going against him, Donald Trump has managed to have the #1 approval rating within the Republican Party.
Such results beg the question: why do these people love Donald Trump?
1. He speaks his mind:
Generally speaking, whether we love it or hate it, Donald Trump doesn't sugar coat a thing he says. Americans are fed up with "politicians" and anything associated with them and Donald Trump uses this to his advantage. By presenting himself as a blunt businessman, he has appealed to the masses of the Republican party in ways politicians have not been able to.
2. He knows how to agitate the masses:
No other candidate can get people talking like Donald Trump. He says the outrageous, the hilarious, the terrible, and the wonderful. Anything that can get a reaction out of the public, Trump is likely to say. And this attitude works in his favor— by taking a clear stance he has clear backers. The more he puts his foot in his mouth, the more one group will love him and the other hate him. Either way, he gets more press than any other candidate and stays a relevant part of media on a day-to-day basis.
3. He has a household name:
With so many Republican candidates in the mix (17 to be exact), people are overwhelmed with the idea of choosing. Sadly, most people choose to vote based on name instead of taking the time to learn what every candidate is about: their economic policies, international and domestic affairs, etc. Donald Trump has built this a name for himself, and because of this, uneducated people will be more likely to pick his name at the poll.
4. He "runs on his own money":
Because Donald Trump is incredibly rich, he has the ability to run on his own cash and prove to the working people he isn't part of the political machine. Donald Trump tells us he doesn't care about lobbyists, he's uninterested in policy. Trump tells us he wants to fundamentally change American government, and people are happy at the prospect of such a transformation.
5. Americans are dissatisfied, and anything different is better:
According to a Gallup poll from March 2015, Americans say government is the number one problem in America right now (above the economy, unemployment, etc.). Only 31 percent of Americans are satisfied with the direction American is going in, and while this is better than previous years, it is still significantly on the lower side. People are desperate for a change within the political system and believe that ridding the government of those who have held office for very long should be fired and create a "clean slate." For many people, Donald Trump has come to represent this, and for his ability to take such a role, we should not underestimate him as a powerful candidate in the future.
