As a businessman and real estate mogul, Donald Trump has seen his fair share of success. However, as an attempted politician, he has not been as lucky. His most recent foray into the political world has been one of the most detrimental things to the American public in a long time.
Donald Trump flirted with the idea of running for office for more than 10 years before finally pulling the trigger and throwing his hat into the ring for the 2016 presidential election. A hardline conservative, Trump's political beliefs are exactly what one would expect. He is able to generate controversy through making outrageous statements at political events, spouting preposterous policies concerning immigration and manipulating the media. He and fellow GOP front-runner Ben Carson thrive on making statements that generate media buzz and thereby provide free advertising for their respective campaigns. Some speculate that Trump is only running such an outlandish campaign to see if he can actually get away with it while others suggest that he truly believes the claims he makes.
His campaign may be mocked and seen as a joke by a lot of people, but the possibility of Trump winning the presidential election is a very scary thing and what he may be doing to the political conscience of the American public is even scarier. It's all well and good to laugh about the ridiculous comments Donald Trump is making, but there is no denying that he is able to masterfully manipulate news media in order to gain attention. Although it is very early, he has constantly been leading the polls or very close to it. What Trump is doing is not just running an election, but rather making it acceptable for people to share his beliefs. His hardline far-right rhetoric that funding for means-tested social safety nets should be cut, Syrian refugees should be turned away and illegal immigrants should be shipped out of the country is causing people to consider ignoring the needs of other human beings. Regardless of whether or not this bid for the oval office is successful, Trump is making these ideas mainstream. When state governments are refusing to help people desperately in need of a place to stay because they fear that one in 1000 of them may be affiliated with a militant organisation it is crucial to take a look at where their ideology is coming from.
Donald Trump is not funny and he is not just "saying what everyone else is thinking." Donald Trump is polluting the collective zeitgeist by fear mongering instead of attempting to help his fellow man. I don't believe that Trump will succeed in this election, but I do believe that something is very wrong when someone this radical has even the potential to become the leader of the free world.
