Donald Trump has been a public figure for a long time, through his financial assets, best-selling books, elite real-estate, reality TV show, and overall public spotlight for, basically, just being an eccentric billionaire. But this year has arguably been his most prominent year in the public eye due to his candidacy for president of the United States. Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with him running (other than his utter lack of political background), but Trump’s candidacy is scary, and here’s why:
1. His misogynistic behavior
Trump has been known to say things over the years that are demeaning toward women and just plain sexist. But because of his recent public platform as a presidential candidate, his words have more influence than ever. Calling journalist Megyn Kelly a "bimbo," insinuating that a woman breastfeeding is "disgusting," and countless other ridiculous and misogynistic statements have proved that Trump lacks respect for women. His celebrity status coupled with his recent place in the political spotlight allows for his despicable views of women to be perpetuated.
2. His ban on Muslims
Donald has made his thoughts on Muslims well known and has proposed several "policies" that would put them at risk of their safety, their freedom, and their dignity. Trump has called for monitoring and surveillance of mosques, a ban on Muslim immigrants from entering the country, and he has even gone so far as to propose that all Muslims must be registered in a government database and required to carry a religious ID card. These ideas are marginalizing and demeaning, and completely out of touch with what freedom means in this country, not to mention reminiscent of Hitler-esque policies.
3. He is encouraging racism and xenophobia
Other than his marginalization of Muslims, Trump has said nasty things about Mexican-Americans as well. Saying things like Mexico is "sending people that have lots of problems [...] they're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists" creates an atmosphere of prejudice and hatred. Trump's xenophobic speech is perpetuating hate and instilling fear in his followers and those whom he is targeting. He is spreading false stereotypes which demonize and target specific people, putting them at risk of violence and discrimination.
4. He makes fun of disabled people
At a rally, Donald Trump mocked reporter Serge Kovaleski who was born with deformities in his hands and arms. Trump mimicked him in a derogatory manner, prompting laughter from his audience. He has also made fun of disabled people in the past, specifically a wheelchair-bound writer. This ableist mentality again encourages a prejudice and damaging marginalization of certain populations of people.
5. He encourages violence
Trump's rallies can be tense, and this is mainly due to the hateful mentality that he himself encourages. There have been many reported incidents of name calling, racial slurs, and violent threats at Trump rallies, but what is most frightening is that these are not only coming from his supporters, but his staff and his security, and are reinforced and encouraged by Trump himself. Trump has more than once encouraged his supporters to react with violence to anyone who disrupts him, telling the crowd to "knock the hell out of" protesters, and saying that he, himself, would "like to punch [a protester] in the face."
6. He is influencing children to be racist and prejudiced
With a public platform that is broadcast on national media outlets, his words and actions are seen and absorbed by the nation's youth. Just last week, children in Virginia taunted a classmate about the color of his skin and said that when Trump becomes president, he will be deported. This kind of hate is not how we want our kids to behave, but with a presidential candidate behaving this way, it makes it okay for children to do so, too.
7. His rhetoric and actions are encouraging a cult mentality
Perhaps worst of all is the fact that Trump is instilling a cult mentality among his supporters. Through the culmination of all of the previously stated dangerous facts about Trump's campaign, he has generated something truly disturbing. The hate-mongering that Trump perpetuates has created a fear, a xenophobia, and a hatred of others that unites his followers around a common agenda: To "Make America Great Again." But which part of America's history are they referring to here? When slavery was legal? When women and people of color lacked the right to vote and other basic human rights? When segregation was mandated? In a time when our country should be moving forward, we are falling back, back to a time when America was not great, but dangerous.
Trump's demagogue platform and hateful rhetoric have generated a buzz among people who would perhaps otherwise have looked the other way. Deeply buried prejudices that are usually publicly discouraged have been given the okay, have been even encouraged, by Trump. It is terrifying to realize that thousands of people actually support this person who encourages hate. That's what's scary about it: any layman could be saying these things and no one would pay attention, but when you couple this hateful rhetoric with the celebrity status of Trump and a prominent political spotlight, it becomes very dangerous.
It is well known that Trump is a gifted public speaker and knows how to control an interview. This is what makes his rhetoric so dangerous: he understands what must be said to persuade others and he uses this in a very dangerous way. With little to no actual policies to talk about, he uses his rallies and time at republican debates to say things that the crowds want to hear, things that he knows will get them excited, get them cheering. His political platform seems to be less about policy, and more about popularity, glorification, and control.
He says he "doesn't have time for political correctness," but it's not about being PC, it's about being a decent human being. He's condescending, arrogant, and narcissistic. These are not the character traits of a United States President. And as someone in the public spotlight on an influential platform, Trump should recognize the fact that what he says matters.
