We are seeing a movement unlike anything seen before in American History. Since the inception of our nation the United States has only had three presidents who had no prior elected position in the federal government, and all three of those men were former generals. So how is it that a New York business tycoon with no political experience has the Republican nomination within his reach? The answer could be that Donald Trump is a well-known business icon and has hosted his own TV show for over a decade so his name might win him votes.
But this is the presidency being decided and even my bleak outlook on society’s thought-processes doesn’t lead me to believe they would elect a new president solely because he was on TV. I think that there is an unspoken message behind Donald Trump’s campaign, a message that Trump has only adopted after it was given to him by the American people. This message, this idea — this spirit — is one that could lead to a complete political overhaul and change the course of American politics for generations to come.
Trump is slowly becoming the figurehead for a political revolution being supported by people across the country. This is not a revolution in the sense that Americans should exercise their 2nd Amendment right to kick some ass and march on Washington D.C. Instead it is a civilized movement intended to challenge the federal government. It is the people’s way of giving our elected leaders a wake-up call. Demanding a change in the broken system and threatening to replace anyone who does not want to change.
I first noticed this message when I saw Trump live at one of his rallies in Louisville. It was impressive to see how spontaneous he was in front of thousands of potential voters. Even while protesters were interrupting his speech, he would ramble on, only pausing to dodge curse words about how disrespectful they were being to his event. Half of the rally was spent by Trump bellowing “Get ‘em outta here!” from his podium, attempting to motivate the security team to remove the protestors. The crowd was in awe of Trump on the stage, every statement was met with a cheer and every time Trump had to stop speaking "Build the Wall" chants filled the silence.
Needless to say, I saw exactly what I thought I would see from Trump at his rally, but what I didn't expect was the enthusiasm of the crowd. All races and genders were represented in the audience and they were in support of the same man. The same man who has offended a list of demographics during his presidential campaign and will continue to do so in the future. Trump is the candidate that rejects political correctness and doesn't care if he hurts your feelings. This directness from Trump has given him a sense of honesty that other candidates are struggling to keep and is attracting voters looking for a change. It has gotten to the point where I think people don’t care what Trump says. Even if he was to double-back on his promise to build a wall people would still vote for him just because he’s not another politician.
Trump is on track to win the Republican nomination which would pit him against the democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton. Clinton is a career politician and just ended her time as Secretary of State. A woman with an insatiable drive to win for herself and an army of donors is a scary opponent in any election. Clinton is back from losing the Democratic nomination to Obama in 2012 and is ready to claim the presidency which has been in her sights since her husband’s impeachment.
It’s hard to imagine Trump as an underdog, but going head-to-head with a political goliath like Hillary Clinton is an intimidating challenge. Trump will surely paint Clinton as another corrupted politician and try to remind Americans of what they are trying to change in the government system. Electing Clinton would be repeating the cycle and electing a political outsider would send a message that Capitol Hill could not ignore.
There is still a long stretch of time between now and when ballots open in November, so a lot could change in that time. Maybe Cruz and Kasich will be able to steal enough delegates from Trump and bring the GOP nomination to an open convention. Or maybe Bernie Sanders will somehow beat Hillary for the nomination. But in all likelihood, it will be Trump versus Clinton fighting for the keys to the White House. A fight that represents the American people standing up to a system that is flawed and demanding a change.
