There is a reason that Donald Trump is first in Iowa and New Hampshire, and has been first overall in the presidential race for 11 straight weeks. There is a reason that Trump, according to Forbes, is worth 4.5 billion dollars. That’s billion. With a “b”. The reason? Donald Trump is a do-er.
When thinking about past presidents, and politicians in general, one might remember how they talk-the-talk but rarely walk-the-walk. Most of them prophesy about what they will do, the changes they will make, and how they will form America into the haven of success it once was. Regardless, our country continues to dwindle.
Have you ever looked at the national debt clock? It’s frightening. Personally timing the accumulation of 1 million dollars in debt with a stopwatch, I recorded 76 seconds. The 18 trillion dollar national debt has been rising, and it will keep rising, unless there is a change. In 6 years, Barack Obama racked up $6.167 trillion to the national debt. George W. Bush added the second most to the national debt, accounting for $5.849 trillion.
Donald Trump has built his business on getting work done. No one takes advantage of Donald Trump, and he plans to let no one take advantage of America anymore. “Everyone is taking our jobs… Look, they don’t respect our president. They don’t respect our country. They will respect me,” Trump said in an edition of 60 Minutes on September 27. “…I want to build our country. Our country’s been decimated. We have spent so much money in the Middle East and other places. …Our roads are falling apart, our bridges are falling apart. Everything’s falling apart. We have to rebuild our country,” said Trump. How does he plan to accomplish this feat? Trump plans to grow the economy so much that he will in fact decrease the national debt; something no president has done since Calvin Coolidge who served from 1923-1929. Trump told Scott Pelley of 60 Minutes, “[We will] bring jobs back from China, from Japan, from Mexico, from so many countries, [because] everybody’s taking our jobs.”
A common argument coming from those who despise Trump is that politicians run our country for a reason. Businessmen are in no position to run for political office because running a country is not like running a business. Some say businessmen can’t interact with politicians of other countries well either. Trump, however, says “I’ve gotten along with politicians my whole life. I’ve made a fortune on politicians. Nobody knows politicians better than I do.” The rest of the country also seems to agree with Trump. The 60 Minutes special also included that in their recent CBS poll, “nearly half of Republicans in the early primary states say they’re not dissatisfied with Washington, they’re angry. They tell us that business knowhow matters more than a political resume. When they see the multibillionaire in his private 757 (jet), 80 percent of Republicans say they see a strong leader.” This is Trump’s most important asset. His leadership is something that American politics currently lacks.
Those familiar with politics know that politicians have a lot of money, but not enough to fund their campaigns. Their campaigns are funded through fundraising and “generous” donations from their supporters. What’s the catch? Donors don’t just give candidates money because they can; they donate in exchange for influence. Organizations for the conservation of the rainforest might donate $100,000 to a candidate, but only if that candidate mentions how the destruction of the rainforest should be stopped on their airtime. These influences cause corruption in politics. Those with money control politicians and their policies. You may have already known this; however, many don’t know that Donald Trump does not have these issues. Trump is not influenced by money, simply because he already has it. Trump is the only candidate in the 2016 presidential race to be 100% funded independently. This means that he has no false policies, no outside influences, and what he says is 100% him speaking, not others’ money.
If we can all learn something from Trump’s campaign, it’s that Trump is ready to lead our country back to the way it used to be, no matter what people think of him. Anyone who has watched interviews of Trump see his outlandish opinions displayed. Does he withdraw his opinions when ridiculed? No, he doesn’t. Trump did not run for president for popularity. He saw our country falling apart, and did something about it. “I love my business. I didn’t want to do this. I just see our country as going to hell. And I felt I had to do it,” said Trump. When next November rolls around, don’t be surprised to see Donald Trump on the ballot. The choice is yours; vote for another mellow politician that will add trillions of dollars to the debt, or vote for a businessman and leader who will restore our country’s dominance.
-Cole Hook
Donald Trump. His bulldog-esque persona he uses for interviews and on The Apprentice is a trait that is making the media go crazy for him. I, as a citizen of this country that understands the Constitutional Amendments in place for a human to be eligible to run for president, agree that any individual that fills the requirements to run for president, has a birth-right to take a shot at the White House. I do not believe that Donald Trump should be removed from the race, because that is not right. I do believe that the correct officials should address the legitimacy of his campaign, seriousness of his views, and harshness of his comments on other candidates, in a manner that is fair to the attacker, as well as the victims. “Look at that face. Would anyone vote for that?” said Trump in a comment directed towards his fellow candidate, Carly Fiorina. It is this kind of middle-school insulting towards each other that is causing this Republican Presidential race to seem more like a comedy bit. What if this man becomes the President (hypothetically, of course) and causes World War III, all because he decided to call one of Mexico’s leaders a “rapist” as he has called the population of immigrants from Mexico?
Trump claims to “rebuild” America by growing the economy so much, and in turn will reduce the national debt, as well as fix the roads, bridges, and government buildings. Although this is a great concept and if it is in place it will change the country in a positive manner, the statements made by Trump, such as this one, are not backed up with a plan on just HOW he will accomplish this. If there is not a plan on how the national debt will be reduced, roads will be repaired, AND there will be an extension to the border between the U.S. and Mexico, the decision is difficult for voters to pick Trump as their candidate. As for bringing jobs back from China and other foreign lands, how will Donald Trump return the jobs from overseas? They are privately owned companies that moved over there because of an act placed during the Clinton administration, allowing open trade with China, as well as other foreign countries. Yes, the policy that was made by President Clinton can just be abolished, but the companies are already over there, and will not be very happy having to close up shop to head back to America.
Along with poor policy plans, Trump has displayed throughout his career in business that he lacks a level of money management. “His corporations have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy four times.” So by legal definition, Trump has never actually filed for bankruptcy, but HIS businesses, with HIS name on the sign, that HE manages, ran out of money and were required to claim they had too much debt to be able to operate. Not only does this show that Trump lacks an ability to keep a business’ head above water financially, but it displays his lack of dependability, because Trump never filed for bankruptcy, but made sure that he could stay in business, and secured the fact that it did not affect his personal image in the media. That is what Trump’s whole campaign boils down to: the image of him to the public. Trump chooses his opinions on topics based on what will get him up in the polls, and what will bring in the voters to listen to him. I am not declaring that Donald Trump should be removed from the race, but I do believe the level at which he is rising in popularity is a scary sight, taking into account his history in business, as well as social interactions with fellow candidates.
-Jack Kleinjans
