Let’s take a look at the phenomenon that is Donald Trump’s run for the presidency. Depending on where you live, your mix of Trump hate and Trump support may vary, but arguments involving this election are boundless. These arguments are pointless, because they are almost always arguing about the wrong thing — you cannot solely attack Trump himself, because Trump himself isn’t the worst thing about his ticket. I’ll explain why.
We can look at the most widespread attack I’ve seen, which has been that “Trump is racist!” True or not, it is not that simple. Although Trump is certainly associated with racism, supporters will vehemently deny it. “Refugees are being banned for our own safety.” “He doesn’t want illegal immigrants here, only the illegals, how doesn’t that make sense?”
There are many more jabs you can make, of course: “Trump is a fascist!” “Trump is like Hitler!” “Trump is sexist!” These can, and have, all been argued endlessly, but at the end of the day, you may not be able to put your finger on the single unifying reason that you dislike Trump. The biggest issue here is that, as I’ve heard said by many Democrats, “Trump wouldn’t be so bad in office. He’s just putting on a show. He’s more liberal than you think, he used to be democrat, you know.” That argument does not make him OK. In fact, it makes him worse.
Trump is not stupid. He has had failed businesses, sure, but he’s a very successful guy overall. Yeah, he thinks that climate change is a hoax created by China, but… OK, it’s very hard to say that he’s not an idiot right now, but let’s just assume he’s not an idiot. OK.
So why is he saying so many inflammatory things? Is he “putting on a show” or “trolling” as I’ve seen many people say? Think about advising a presidential candidate to imply that Mexicans are rapists. You would never... How, why would that ever be a good idea? What kind of people would like to hear that?
All of his words – blunt, harsh, abrasive… cruel, even – get eaten up as being “honest.” Even if they don’t agree with it, many people appreciate the “honesty.” I cannot count how many times I’ve heard the words, “I like him because he says what’s on his mind!” and even worse, “he says what’s on everyone’s mind!”
The point is: you can deny that Trump is racist, but you cannot deny that Trump attracts racists. To go a bit further, you can easily see the kind of people he is attracting on purpose, because, as said above, he is not stupid, he is being strategic. He certainly recognizes that his rhetoric is purposefully fear mongering and stirring. He knows that it is wrong, and of course he doesn’t care, because it’s working perfectly.
Say that someone is racist against Muslims. Before, this person may have been private about these thoughts. He could’ve expected to have been met with, “dude, that’s messed up,” if he said something racist to his peers. He realized that it was not acceptable to say in a public place, maybe not even amongst friends, and he certainly knew that the general public frowned upon that kind of thought.
In comes Trump, announcing that he would like to ban all Muslims from entering the US. Finally, someone this guy agrees with! And wow, Trump speaks his mind! He says what everyone is thinking but is too politically correct to say! This person goes to a Trump rally, or even simply joins a pro-Trump Facebook group, where he undeniably can meet like-minded individuals. Instead of racist thoughts being frowned upon, here it is much more likely to be propagated. It is a forum for racists to feel secure in being racist – and what’s more, to feel like it is what is on “everyone’s minds, but they’re too scared to say”!
That is the danger in Trump. If Trump was nothing but a person and his policies, he would not be too horrible – or rather, as horrible. He’s entitled to have his own opinion. For example, Ted Cruz has policies that I do not personally agree with in any way, shape or form, but I would not go as far as to say he is a “horrible person” for having a different view from myself.
Trump falls under the “horrible person” category. Not because he has a different view from me, but because I do not believe that his views are actually his views. There is no way to prove that what he’s saying is what’s on his mind. The only proof is in the fact that it’s so brash, childish and generally distasteful that why would he say it if he wasn’t thinking it?
What is the unifying theme amongst Trump's most contested views? Fear and hate – placing blame on someone else. Harsh, blunt, inflammatory rhetoric. This is arguably the best way to influence a population. This is the worst thing about Trump. It is not he himself who is terrible — although I do disagree with him on many other levels — it is how he is choosing to run. It is his choice to rally supporters by acting purposefully ridiculous. It is his choice to create a forum for hatred and bigotry. Allowing this forum to exist will only cause the spread of this kind of thought. What’s more, he is empowering this type of person to feel confident, to feel like a patriot, to feel like they will make America great “again.”
“Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger.”
—Herman Goering at the Nuremberg Trials.
