The first announcement of Trump’s candidacy for President was met with smiles from all sides. The Republicans because they believed he would save our downtrodden economy with his apparent ability to make money. The Democrats were joyful because a celebrity running for President means just that many more people will understand the teasing. People who don’t identify with either party were happy about it because they actually recognize a name up for candidacy. It was all fun and games for a while, but as the election draws nearer, things are starting to get scary.
People are actually supporting Trump. That’s not good for multiple reasons. The first and most deeply rooted reason, is that he is rich. Someone having a lot of money isn’t necessarily a bad thing. He could still be a decent guy. The problem is that he has had money for a long time. He’s privileged. With no memory of the hardships a person may go through, no empathy, and most certainly no attempt to sympathize, he doesn’t care about helping those who need it.
Maybe you don’t either. That wasn’t part of the government’s job originally, true. But what about the opinions a majority of his followers hold about his merits. It would seem that every Trump supporter favors his economic policy because of his personal financial situation. Our country is in major debt. That’s a fact. However, a common misconception is that the President sets the budget. He does not. That is entirely up to Congress. Our government has been set up with a series of checks and balances that prevent one person or group of people from becoming too powerful. The President is not all-powerful. Not only would Trump not even have control of the budget, I wouldn’t trust him with it considering all the times his businesses have gone bankrupt.
More important than what he can’t do are the things he has done. Trump is a horrible public speaker. He offends a different group of people every single day it seems. From women to immigrants to the people of Iowa (It’s Jack Trice, not Truce thank you very much.) to those holding the notion that wanting to date one’s own daughter is inappropriate. If he has this ability to offend literally everyone within the course of his campaign, imagine what he could do as President for four years. With race relations running the way they are and people taking a stand against the things that offend them, I don’t think we can stand a leader with such poor domestic relations.
Possibly the most important aspect of the President’s role is foreign policy because as the chief member of the executive branch, he acts as a spokesperson for the United States. Let’s picture for a moment, Trump trying to circumvent war using one of his infamous speech-turned-hate-speech-turned-rant-about-anything-that-happens-to-pop-into-his-head. In order to keep international relations at their fairly stable state, let alone improve them, we need a leader with charisma that can think quickly and speak publicly without spewing a hilariously inappropriate discourse. Foreign relations are crucial right now. We are facing internal unrest right now and cannot bear the brunt of an international conflict as well.
While it’s fun to see what sorts of poppycock Trump and his supporters spout, the legitimate terror it strikes into my heart as we move closer and closer to election day is silencing my laughter. Sure, I laughed at the three minute compilation of just Trump saying the word “China” and the pictures of his hair being photoshopped onto other creatures. But when I see things like “Make America Great Again” bumper stickers and shirts, I am sobered. We give him all this attention. We spread his name. With all the publicity, good and bad, everyone in America will know his name. On election day, that can make the difference between a qualified candidate and a celebrity who tweets out his anger like an angsty teenager. I’m not a fan of negative campaigns that focus more on the disadvantages of competitors than advantages of candidates, but this is a special case. After the way he treated those who went out to see him at Iowa State, there is no doubt in my mind that Trump is unfit to run a country. A famous name, a catchphrase, and a signature hairstyle make an action figure, not a leader.
