Donald Trump has repeatedly proven himself to be a racist, a misogynist, a liar and overall unfit to be the next president of the United States. Every week it seems a new scandal emerges surrounding him, the latest involving his overtly sexual and disgusting comments about women taken from a video in 2005. Endorsements from fellow Republicans are falling by the wayside, and his actions have been denounced by many in the public eye.
It is hard to imagine a man like that being the face of the United States for the next four years.
But Trump could be just what America needed.
This is not an endorsement for Donald Trump whatsoever, simply an endorsement of what he has done for American politics.
The first presidential debate was the most watched debate in the history of television, with an estimated 84 million viewers. The next highest debate had 81 million, and no other debate exceeded 70 million. These numbers do not even include the number of people who streamed the debate online.
Considering the U.S. population has grown by about 100 million since 1980, those numbers may be slightly inflated, but it is no small feat to have almost three times more viewers than Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Pitting the Donald versus Hilary Clinton is bound to draw in viewers who are simply hoping to witness a fight break out on stage, but nonetheless, 84 million people, for at least an hour and a half, were somewhat interested in politics.
Log on to Facebook, or any social media site, and it will inevitably be filled with people who are spouting their opinions about the upcoming election. Some in favor of Trump, some in favor of Clinton, some in favor of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, but all with an opinion. That is what matters.
No matter how disheartening it may be for some people to see a fellow U.S. citizen wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat, at the very least, it is a step in the right direction. Because finally the U.S. population, even those who had never cared before, are finally engaged in the presidential election and, however loosely the term is used, politics.
While choosing between what many people view as sub-par candidates is not ideal, it has forced people to take a side, to actually have an opinion. To support one candidate, or at the very least, oppose the other.
I was never extremely interested in politics. Previous elections have simply passed me by, and I would adopt the views either of my parents or friends because it was easy. I may have taken sides, but I honestly never felt like it mattered to me. Fast forward to 2016, and now I realize that in fact does matter. It matters to me and to the United States and to the world.
On Tuesday, November 8, I will be exercising my Constitutional right, and responsibility, to vote. So will hundreds of millions of other Americans wanting their voice to be heard. Whether it means that people are voting to prevent one person from getting into office or voting to support the candidate that they believe will be the best for this country, they will be voting. We will be voting.
America can survive a few bad candidates; it has in the past. The candidate who is actually fit to lead the country will prevail. What America cannot survive, is a disinterested populace. When people stop caring, or when people never begin to care at all, that is when we need to be worried. The United States is built on conversation, on differing views and on speaking out for what you believe in even if the person beside you is giving you a look of pure disgust.
Donald Trump has made people care about politics. They were drawn in by the spectacle but stayed for the politics. Maybe in the next four years following the 2016 election, interest will die down. But maybe it won’t. Either way, this election has shown that when it comes down to it, people want what they think is best for the country. What they think may be appalling to the other side, but at least they are thinking.
