I’m glad Donald Trump is running for president. I think the Trump campaign is valuable to America, and I think you’ll agree with me. Before I’m branded with a scarlet “T” and ostracized by anyone ready for Hillary or those feeling the Bern, I would like to clarify that I am writing on only Trump’s candidacy, not the prospect of him actually being elected. The reality TV star and name brand has made waves in the arena of American politics, and I support what his campaign’s done for America.
Trump’s seemingly inexplicable popularity baffles many, except for his supporters. I come from a small and relatively rural town in Upstate New York. That is to say, I have experience with Trump supporters. Trump’s support stems from his “ability to say what everybody’s thinking,” “his willingness to do what needs to be done,” and that the federal deficit dictates that “America needs to be run more like a business.” To most observers, these explanations still don’t hold up to even a cursory analysis of Trump’s questionable record as a businessperson. Even with that, I have to agree with Trump fans: Donald J. Trump actually might be the candidate we need to start improving this country.
Trump’s domestic policy predicates itself on the more-than-slightly nativist belief that America is for Americans, not immigrants or refugees. Trump appeals to individuals who want to close the border and put Muslim Americans into a federal database. Trump feeds intolerance. His foreign policy comes from a gamble as to whether the American public understands the intricacies of geopolitics, which they often don’t and there’s nothing wrong with that. Trump’s campaign is founded upon the ignorance and fear of generations of Americans, as portions of his website’s “positions” section reads like a wish list for hate groups, and his rallies are actually terrifying. So how on earth is Trump’s candidacy a good thing?
Donald’s candidacy is a wake-up call for America. He really does bring to the table everything America needs to change. I am not saying that he has the skills or abilities to be an effective leader of the free world, nor do I approve of his ideas of what needs changing in America. I’m stating that the Trump campaign and its supporters, his candidacy itself, demonstrate what desperately needs reform in America.
The man validates Americans who have little more understanding of government or politics than their own feelings. Trump appeals to hardworking Americans who rely on themselves rather than government resources; his supporters are often working-to-middle-class white males and rural conservatives, which constituted half the guys I went to high school with. Trump is not like most other politicians — rather than preying on ignorance and fear, he incites and supports it. Rallying around his audacious rhetoric and bombastic behavior, Trump’s supporters have indeed illuminated a need for America to change. The virtue of Trump’s candidacy is that it pushes America’s unfortunate ignorance into the mainstream. The characteristics, not the demographics, of Trump supporters are a damning representation of the American populace.
This stark condemnation, however, acts as a segue into change. Here we are, America: face to face with our demons. He has made it impossible not to see the overflowing anger of middle America. We now see the crazed eyes of our brothers and sisters bulging at the opportunity to build walls and exclude people. We see thousands of people cheering and laughing at his sexist quips against women who don’t support him. Instead of talking about fixing America’s issues, he encourages them.
We have the opportunity to confront those issues — the culmination of America’s bigotry, misogyny, ignorance, fear and xenophobia has reared his oddly coifed and golden-hued head. Trump could say the most ridiculously ignorant thing that passes behind his hair and be lauded for his fearlessness to say what’s on his mind. He inspires people to give in to their fear and turn it into hate. It’s now time to fix those problems. Like Trump’s affiliations with political parties, people change. Make America great by making her people great, and greatness in character is worth more than greatness in wealth. Great kindness does more to make our enemies fewer because it makes our allies more plentiful. Thank you for your candidacy, Mr. Trump.
Steven Lazickas is a junior double-majoring in political science and history.