In the weeks since Donald Trump announced his race for the presidency, much has been said about him and his choice of words. His belittling comments on social media, especially Twitter, have clearly established his thoughts on a wide range of topics and people. From calling Cher's career a joke to outing other politicians, Trump has already made his mark on the 2016 presidential race.
Now, I understand that much has been said about politicians being called hypocrites and people who go against things they once believed and/or said, but Trump is another thing. On August 10, Trump was at it on Twitter stating, "We must stop the crime and killing machine that is illegal immigration. Rampant problems will only get worse. Take back our country!" I understand where his comment is coming from—illegal immigration is only becoming a bigger problem nowadays—however, I do not understand why people wanting to come here for a better life is now considered a crime? Some immigrants may want to come to America for illegal purposes, but on the other hand they may want the so-called "American Dream," if this dream does, in fact, still exist. America was built on immigration, and to ignore this fact now is pure arrogance and ignorance.
Oh, but wait, the plot thickens. Eight days later on August 18, Trump took once again to Twitter not once but twice, stating, "I want talented people to come into this country— to work hard and to become citizens. Silicon Valley needs engineers, etc." and "When foreigners attend our great colleges & want to stay in the U.S., they should not be thrown out of our country." Let the awkward glances start, because as I previously stated, politicians are hypocrites, but Trump in my book, is still considered a businessman—a hypocritic businessman. Now what is the difference in someone coming to America looking for the right education and someone wanting to come for a better life? I see no difference. One individual wants to come because they do not have the academic opportunities they would in their homeland and the other individual wants to come because they live in impoverished conditions and in violence. Trump's solution is to take the individuals who want to pay for their new lives with loans and taxes, while the other individuals will get thrown back into the water without learning to swim.
Again, America was built on the idea of the "American Dream," and it is hard to think that this used to be an idea. Up until the Great Depression, it was socially acceptable to be an 'illegal' immigrant; these individuals coming from Europe were in pursuit of a better life, liberty, and happiness. I'm not sure when immigrants were looked upon as "aliens." Why should they be? Last time I checked, aliens were green and flew UFOs—the immigrants of yesterday and today are neither green nor fly UFOs. Trump needs to make up his mind, does he want people who are willing to make a life for themselves and further diversify America? Or does he want individuals who are going to pay their way into the American culture?
