The Never Trump Movement

The 2016 election cycle has been one for the history books. The conventions are over and the nominees for the Republican and Democratic parties have been chosen. There is just one problem: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are statistically the two most hated candidates either party has ever had.

Donald Trump specifically has sealed the Republican party's nomination from a completely divided Republican party. One side would do anything for their nominee and he has their support until the day they die. In Trump's own words from CNN Politics, "I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot someone and I wouldn't lose voters." The sad part; it's actually true. While Donald Trump has his loyal supporters, he also has an adamant opposition within his own party. As a registered Republican, I am a part of this opposition. Dubbed the #nevertrump movement, the people against trump have very specific reasons for not supporting our orange-faced, fake-haired nominee. This article is not meant to bash Trump supporters. I understand why some of you are supporting him. I wish I could; but frankly, Donald Trump will never have my support and these are my reasons why.

Donald Trump has a very liberal past. Through the years, Trump has consistently donated to Democrats running for office. One of those being his opponent for the presidency, Hillary Clinton. Any person who decides to donate millions of dollars to someone doesn't do so because they disagree with them. Also, at one point or another, Trump has espoused liberal views on almost everything. For example, he has a record of being pro-choice. Just this year, Trump came out in support of planned parenthood and has in past interviews said he was pro-choice. "I am pro-choice, but I am uncomfortable with the procedures." When people started to research Trump's past and this came up, Trump said he "evolved on the issue, much like Reagan." To me, this is a cop out to his supporters, and they ate it up. Of course, this is not enough of a reason to oppose Trump, but that is not all.

Donald Trump does not represent conservative values. Frankly, he gives conservatism a bad name. I have beliefs on important issues based on my own values and world view. Donald Trump espouses none of these beliefs or values. The loyal Trump supporters often say, "He is our Republican nominee and you should vote for him because of that." I find this to be a completely ridiculous statement. Just because I am a Republican means I have to vote down the ballot just based on party? No. My vote will go to the people I agree with and the people who espouse the same values as myself, and like I said, Trump is not one of those people.

Another statement that the #nevertrump movement is often confronted with is "If you don't vote for Trump you are giving the election to Hillary Clinton" or "Not voting is the same as voting for Hillary Clinton." Another ridiculous statement. A vote for Donald Trump is a vote for Donald Trump. A vote for Hillary Clinton is a vote for Hillary Clinton. A vote for neither is a vote for no one. Very simple.

Donald Trump is a disaster when it comes to policy. To quote prominent conservative writer and talk show host Ben Shapiro on his iTunes podcast "The Ben Shapiro Show," "Donald Trump is great at diagnosis, but horrible at prognosis." This is a great way to look at this. What this means is Donald Trump is great at diagnosing the problem, but when it comes to solving that problem, he almost never gets it right. Case in point, the Muslim ban. There are problems around the world regarding radical Islamic terrorism, and Trump has been quick to point that problem out, but his solution is absolutely asinine. Banning all Muslims from entering the United States does absolutely nothing to solve the problem with Islamic terrorism. This did not go unnoticed by Republicans around the country. I have ideas that I believe could be done to solve the problem of terrorism, but Trump just jumps to the most extreme "solution" possible. Also, it was reported that when Donald Trump Jr. reached out to Gov. John Kasich about potentially becoming Trump's VP, Trump told Kasich that he would be handling both foreign and domestic policy. When Kasich asked what Trump would be in charge of, Trump Jr. said "Making America great again." When the nominee for president tells the VP choice that he will be handling policy as a whole, that is a huge red flag.

The people of the #nevertrump movement have different reasons for not supporting the Republican nominee, but all of us have something in common. Donald J Trump does not represent us. So next time you meet a conservative, do not automatically assume that they are all aboard the "Trump Train," because chances are, they despise Donald Trump just as much as you do.