As everyone has noticed, it's a very important year here in America: another presidential election. It has been almost impossible to go a day without something new coming out of the circus that is this election season. There are a lot of voices and a lot of opinions being shouted by the field of candidates, and it's exhausting. So far, I've mostly kept my voice out of the chaos of the election season because I don't feel like I need to be another one of those shouting voices. But there is one issue I just need to be vocal about: Donald Trump.
I'll admit it, when Trump first announced his plan to run for president, I thought it was funny. I thought, "Hey, this will be entertaining." And it has been entertaining. But Donald Trump is not funny anymore.
Maybe not everything I say in this piece will be "original," but these things are clearly worth repeating since the public isn't getting it. Trump has no political experience, and I do not understand why some people aren't undeterred by that fact. I guess people can be "sick of politicians" because they can be "untrustworthy," but can we really trust this man? He's had several business ventures fail. He's insulting, and it doesn't seem like the global community is a fan. He was a reality TV star, and do we really need someone like that in the White House? Oh, and did I mention he has no political experience?
It's also extremely concerning people are overlooking Trump's very un-presidential character. He is blatantly racist. Trump has made racist remarks while on the campaign trail, which seems to me like he really just doesn't care about how diverse our country is. Throughout the years, including during his campaigning, Trump has said many, many horrible things about women. He must seem to forget women make up half of the American population. This powerful ad features women reciting quotes Trump has made about women in this year or last year (only one quote fell outside of this time period). And Mashable shared this video to Twitter about all the times Trump has incited violence recently. He told the crowd he'd cover their legal views for beating protestors. What?! This absolutely blows my mind that we are allowing this hateful man to run for president. I cannot encourage enough that everyone read this amazing article from Slate, because Trump's inciting of violence could possibly mean trouble for him.
And if any of that isn't enough, the Economist Intelligence Unit lists Trump's potential presidency in the top 10 global risks. These are risks that could have major negative impacts on the entire world. Yes, folks, that is a big deal. According to the BBC, Trump received this ranking because "the research firm warns he could disrupt the global economy and heighten political and security risks in the US," as well as other important criteria.
Honestly, I am embarrassed that my countrymen are letting this circus surrounding Trump go on. Presidential elections should be taken seriously, and so far it has just seemed like a disaster. I don't understand, but enough is enough.
It is time we all wake up as a country are realize Trump is not a stable candidate for president. As Dalia Lithwick wrote in the Slate article mentioned above, "But there is a political solution, and if voters don’t reject a man so clearly unfit for office, freedom of speech may be the first casualty in the pantheon of cherished American constitutional liberties, but it surely will not be the last."
