It’s happened. Donald Trump is officially the Republican nominee for president. All I can say is this: in all the time I’ve been following politics, this is definitely the most horrifying election I’ve ever seen.

As I’m sure you’ve figured out from my past articles, I’m a Democrat. But I consider myself a moderate and I would vote for a Republican if I thought they were truly the best person for the job. However, Donald Trump and the people who follow him have made me lose all respect for the Republican Party. The Republican Party has devolved from the party of Lincoln; a party that opposed slavery and fought to preserve the Union has morphed into a group of racists, sexists, homophobes, and religious extremists. And as if that weren’t scary enough, Trump now poses a threat to our national security. Case in point: Trump encouraging Russia to hack Hillary Clinton’s email.

The president is the commander-in-chief of our army, and therefore a very important figure in keeping our country safe. What kind of leader encourages another country to hack into a prominent politician’s email? Our relations with Russia are already tense thanks to the situation in the Crimea and the authoritarian leadership of Vladimir Putin. By encouraging a foreign power to hack Clinton’s email, Trump is putting our nation in danger. Trump is indirectly encouraging Russia to hack into other American security systems. That compromises our safety and puts us in danger. The president is supposed to protect the American people; they’re supposed to keep America safe. Trump’s actions as the Republican nominee reveal just how unfit he is to run a business, let alone a country. And no, it’s not because he’s a Republican. If a Democrat were doing things like this, I would denounce them too.

I think most people would agree that the world is becoming more and more dangerous every day. You only have to read the front page of the paper to see the endless list of violent attacks that take place every day. In times like these, no country, the United States included, can afford to be careless when it comes to national security. And Vladimir Putin poses a threat to our national security. His actions in Ukraine and as president of Russia reveal him to be a dictator with a flair for authoritarian policies. Do we want someone like that being able to access classified information regarding the United States? Of course not! But if Trump had his way, Russia would be able to infiltrate the United States with no problem.

Trump is known for his campaign slogan “Make America Great Again.” I say, if you really want to make America great again, don’t vote for Donald Trump. The American people deserve better than a wannabe dictator who wants to take our country back to the dark ages. Trump is unfit to be president of a company, let alone president of the United States. If you really want to make America great again, think back to The Apprentice and use Trump’s own words against him: “You’re fired.”