Donald Trump has stated that he intends on forcing Mexico to build a wall along our shared border, and when it comes to Latino immigrants, he claims that, "They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists." He called Planned Parenthood an "abortion factory." He rejected John McCain's status as a war hero, saying, "I like people who weren't captured." He seems to be willing to make offensive comments toward anyone and everyone. People everywhere are expressing their disgust towards Trump. Despite all of this, Trump is leading the Republicans candidates by a landslide in the primary elections.

So if you're anything like me, you're absolutely dumbfounded as to why anyone would support such an obnoxious and chaotic character as a candidate for The President of the United States.

I didn't want to accept the explanation that people are just racist, sexist, bigoted monsters. In search of answers, I decided to actually do some research into the different reasons that people support Donald Trump.

I learned that the character that Trump presents to the world contributes greatly to his popularity. He is confident, decisive, and he keeps things simple.

Build a wall. Deport immigrants. Screw political correctness. Make more jobs. Loosen gun laws. Bomb ISIS. End ObamaCare. Make America great again.

Supporters like that Trump doesn't present complicated and confusing solutions, but rather makes firm statements that are unambiguous and straightforward.

Trump also effectively defends himself against media's constant slander. Despite countless attempts to ridicule him, Trump always manages to turn it around in his favor. For example, during a recent interview with CNN, Trump continuously dodged questions asking whether or not he would disavow the KKK, whose former leader had pledged his support to Trump. The media immediately began bashing Trump for the incident, while he blamed CNN for providing him with a "lousy earpiece," which made it difficult for him to hear the questions being asked.

Another big reason for Trump's large following is that immigrants are disliked by many more people than we realize. The Washington Post explains it best. "He’s hugely popular among people without college degrees, who have been left behind by economic progress in recent years. Many of these people blame immigrants for their own poor prospects, since they compete for some of the same kinds of jobs."

Quick side note- I'll be honest, when I first heard that Trump was significantly popular among those without college degrees, I caught myself smirking, thinking that a lack of education would definitely explain why these people would support such a man. But the research I've done has really brought to my attention that these people have legitimate reasons for their support for Trump, and that I lack the experience and perspective necessary to understand their plight and frustrations. This realization has definitely caused me to consider all of the candidates with a more open mind, and I hope that others will consider doing so as well. This by no means implies that I support Trump. I simply understand why others do.

Okay, back to my findings. A rather obvious factor that plays into Trump's popularity is that people are sick and tired of their interests not being fought for by politicians. Trump's position as an outsider gives him an advantage of dissociation from government corruption and complexity. Trump's extreme stances also portray to the American people that he intends to bring drastic change to the country, which is something that people have been dying to see.

Perhaps what makes liberals cringe the most is Trump's rejection of political correctness, but this actually appeals to a lot of people. Liberal dogma has been guilting people into concealing their true opinions, and people are tired of being labelled as immoral or cruel for believing what they do. As topics such as sexuality, gender identity, feminism, and racism have been brought to light increasingly over the past few years, there are plenty of people who find the complicated terminology and required tolerance to be unnecessary and oppressing. Trump has sparked a movement that has made people feel more comfortable with expressing their controversial opinions.

Overall, what I have found is that despite Trump's chaotic and seemingly directionless campaign, he has plenty of ideas that resonate with people who have legitimate frustrations that deserve to be dealt with. The "kernel of truth that often exists in even his most inflammatory statements" keeps his supporters loyal, even through his most absurd moments.

I've concluded, despite my own opposition to his policies, that people need to stop shrugging off Trump and start viewing him as a serious contender. The numbers don't lie, and the people don't yield.