In the eleven months since Donald Trump announced his candidacy for President of the United States, voters, media elites, and the establishment types have all been scratching their heads and pulling out their hair over his surprising success. At first, he was dismissed as a flash in the pan. Most assumed his true target wasn’t the White House, but rather publicity for his numerous brands. Almost immediately following the birth of his campaign came the controversial statements. Mr. Trump has built a reputation for “telling it like it is” and many assumed this would implode his candidacy before it even took off. Much to everyone’s surprise, this wasn’t the case. Trump supporters have refused to waver and continue to prove that there is real action behind all the noise. Trump has won 26 out of 38 states so far and, after Ted Cruz and John Kasich suspended their campaigns, it seems Trump has done what many said he couldn’t. This has left political insiders asking themselves “Why?” and “How?” Most of my friends on Facebook are disgusted that anyone could even support Donald Trump, but I believe his appeal represents more than just him as a person. I fully believe that a vote for Donald Trump is a vote for privilege.

A Vote for Donald Trump is a Vote for White Privilege

The past four years have been some of the most racially tense times since the LA riots in the early 1990s. The deaths of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida and Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri both sparked a nationwide outrage. Nine people were killed in a Charleston church, with the shooter admitting he wanted to start a race war. The rise of the “Black Lives Matter” movement and the recent protests at the University of Missouri have just cemented the fact that systemic racism is a big issue in our country. But not everyone is convinced. I have heard, firsthand, people declare racism dead and something not worthy of mention. I have seen the subtle rolling of eyes towards protesters on TV, and blame cast on the liberal agenda for encouraging such ideals. These people are not inherently racist, but the idea of a group challenging the status quo obviously makes them nervous.

This is where Donald J. Trump comes in. Now, to be clear, Trump has never said that he believes white people should be granted more opportunities than minority groups, but he doesn’t have to. Actions speak louder than words and Mr. Trump has continuously advocated for policies that promote and further white culture, while degrading minorities. Since the beginning, one of Trump’s major policies has been to “build a wall” between the southern border of the U.S. and the northern border of Mexico. He has also avidly expressed his adjacent policy to deport the 11 million undocumented immigrants found in America. In the speech announcing his campaign, Trump said, “When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best… They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” While illegal immigration is a problem that needs resolution, Donald Trump managed to dangerously stereotype Mexicans and indirectly gave his supporters permission to do the same. Trump also failed to disavow David Duke and the Ku Klux Klan in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, but his support still raged on. Not many people would say they completely agree with the racist things Trump has said, but the fact that they still support him after those comments speaks wonders.

A Vote for Donald Trump is a Vote for Male Privilege

Feminism is a concept that has been around for a very long time. Throughout different periods of time and cultures in the world, women have fought, and still continue to fight, for equal rights. Whether it be the 20^th century suffragettes fighting for a woman’s right to vote, or modern day feminists trying to get equal pay for equal work, women are somehow still treated differently than men in almost every way. The feminist movement has received a much-needed resurgence in the past couple of years. Both women and men have realized gender equality is a cause that still needs fighters. Celebrities like Emma Watson, Taylor Swift, and Lena Dunham have helped break down the stigma of feminism as a “She-Woman Man Haters Club”. Movements on college campuses aim to explain the importance of consent and sexual assault prevention have jolted women’s rights into the national spotlight. Like many other popular causes, it has received its fair share of rebuke. Men’s rights groups have sprung up and created Twitter accounts to promote male superiority, downplaying the significance of what women have achieved. For as far as we’ve come, there are still those who would like the gender dynamic to be like that of "Mad Men."

Donald Trump has been firing off sexist remarks since the beginning of time, it seems. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if, instead of “mm-ma-mm-mamma”, his first word was “mm-mu-mm-misogyny”. In fact, he once suggested he would date his daughter if she weren’t…you know…his daughter. After Fox News hosted the first Republican debate, Trump accused moderator Megyn Kelly of being on her menstrual cycle due to the fact she asked tough questions. Of fellow Republican nominee Carly Fiorina, Trump said, “ "Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?!" This caused widespread outrage, with many calling the comment sexist. He also recently said the only reason Hillary Clinton had supporters was due to her being a woman. The tip of the iceberg, however, was during a townhall with MSNBC’s Chris Matthews. Trump said women who receive an abortion should be punished if the issue became illegal (he later walked back the comments). Still yet, his support among white males felt no impact. However, roughly 70 percent of women have an unfavorable opinion of Trump. As Carly Fiorina put it, “I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said.”

A Vote For Donald Trump is a Vote for Christian Privilege

Perhaps, now more than ever, Christians in the United States have developed a victim mentality. At every single turn, they feel their values are being persecuted. Just look at the dialogue surrounding the Supreme Court’s decision on gay marriage, and the transgender bathroom laws. Both of those things have been spun into some sort of liberal agenda to diminish Christians and their place in society. The idea that some businesses have suggested they don’t want to serve gay or transgender people due to their religious beliefs has been distorted into a discussion about religious liberty, rather than one about basic human rights.

Donald Trump is far from being your typical Christian. I would even argue that Ted Cruz better fits the description of a typical evangelical candidate, but Trump has done fairly well among Christians. He has a history of pandering to them throughout the campaign. When speaking at rallies in the South and Midwest, Trump would often quote (or misquote) the Bible. Christians, typically, saw right through the act, but found it endearing, nonetheless. Then, of course, came the Muslim comment. Trump called for a temporary ban of Muslims entering the United States as a response to terrorist acts committed by ISIS. Supporters claimed they agreed because they wanted safety, but it was a thinly veiled attempt to cast an entire religious group as “dangerous”.

As Donald Trump switches his focus to the general election, he has a lot of making up to do. The past few weeks, during his rallies, he has taken to saying that he does well with minority groups. He claims that “the Hispanics” love him, he does great with “the blacks”, and that he will do better with “the women” than Hillary Clinton. Putting “the” before these words is more than just a turn of phrase. It is symbolic of Trump’s entire movement. He’s casting anyone who isn’t a white, Christian man as “the other”; a special interest group to be used when they’re convenient and pushed aside when they’re not. I’m not saying that Donald Trump supporters (or even Trump, himself) are racist, sexist, or religiously intolerant. I’m merely suggesting that the rhetoric used by Mr. Trump, and the support it garners him, indicate dark, subconscious prejudices. The tides have begun to turn against “the norm” and that can be worrisome those who identify as such. Trump constantly says he wants to make America great again, harkening back to the “good ole days” of the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. He longs for the days of American initiative, scientific achievement, and economic security, as well as racism, sexism, and religious prejudice.