As an avid supporter of Senator Bernie Sanders, I had my reservations about deciding to vote for Secretary Clinton. I still don't completely trust her, align with all of her ideas, or condone everything she's done, but I will say this: I am very confident that I will never vote for Donald Trump.
Over the past few months, I have been shocked by many of the things that Trump's supporters are willing to ignore or justify; I've been stunned by his remarks about women and minorities and I've been worried about the consequences that a Trump presidency could have for our nation.
There were definitely more than 30 times that I was proud to not support Donald Trump, but nobody has the time to list out every shameful thing he's done so far in this campaign. So here are some of the times that I was able to look myself in the mirror and say, "At least you aren't a Trump supporter."
30. When He Challenged Russia to Hack Hillary.
After the email servers of the Democratic National Convention were hacked, extensive investigation by US intelligence showed that the Russian government was almost definitely to blame. Trump, who has been highly praised by Vladimir Putin, made light of the serious issue of cyber-espionage and even called on Russia to take it one step farther by hacking Hillary’s personal accounts to find the “30,000 emails that are missing.” Regardless of your opinions on Hillary’s scandal with a personal email server, I think we can all agree on one thing: A man who asks Russia to hack a US politician is unfit to hold any kind of public office.
29. When He Appeared to Be Stalking Hillary at the Second Presidential Debate.
Honestly, it’s just creepy and inappropriate. Trump’s demeanor at the debate was enough to turn one of the undecided voters, Earlest Johnson, into a very decided voter. “He walked around her, sat behind her, and almost like he was stalking her,” Johnson said to Buzzfeed.
I, for one, agree with you, Johnson and thank you for blessing the nation with your powerful side eye.
28. When He Called an Entire State "Stupid."
In a verbal attack against Ben Carson, Trump denied many of Carson’s claims about him by asking, “How stupid are the people of Iowa? How stupid are the people of the country to believe this crap?”
Very presidential behavior, Donald.
27. When He Claimed that Global Warming is a Hoax.
The man actually doesn’t believe in science. On November 6, 2012, the Donald tweeted, “The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.” It's not even reasonable. It's just silly.
26. Every Time He Lied.
Speaking of Trump’s bizarre claims about global warming, he later claimed that he never said those words and promptly deleted the evidence on Twitter.
Here's a more extensive list of his lies. And a scorecard of the validity of his statements.
25. When He Talked About His Penis on National Television.
After Marco Rubio accused Trump of having small hands, Trump found it necessary to prove to the world otherwise. He raised his hands on national television to assure the American people that his hands are not small…and that nothing else about him is either24. When He Said He Could Murder People Without Any Consequences.
He actually said, “I could stand in the middle of 5Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose voters.” Glad to see he’s really a man that cares about the people.
23. When He Incited Violence at His Rallies.
It’s probably safer to go shark diving than it is to attend a Trump rally. In the face of criticism, Trump has told his supporters that if they see a protestor, to “knock the crap out of them,” and has claimed that he wishes he could “punch [a protestor] in the face.”
What's even worse? His supporters actually do these things. Here's a list of some of the terrible things his supporters have done:
22. When He Offered to Pay the Legal Fees for a Violent Supporter.
If you are an aggressive Trump supporter, don’t worry. He’s got your back.
21. When He Was Endorsed by Some Pretty Awful People.
Even though Trump claims to not support David Duke or the KKK, let’s still not forget that they support Trump. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty proud to say that I don’t align with the KKK on absolutely any political policies.
20. When #RepealThe19th Became a Thing.
After Eric Trump tweeted a picture showing what our election would look like if only men voted, Trump supporters proved their misogyny once again by trending #RepealThe19th on Twitter.
19. When Trump Claimed to Know More about ISIS than the Generals Do.
6Donald Trump is basically America’s drunk uncle at Christmas dinner. Nothing he says makes any sense, he has difficulty pronouncing simple words like “huge” or “Nevada,” and his superiority complex is completely unparalleled. Sure, Donald, you know more about ISIS than anyone.18. When Trump Bullied a Crew Member.
Because calling someone a f*cking monkey” while they’re just trying to do their job is never acceptable.
17. When Trump Bullied Anyone, Really.
Unfortunately, Trump’s behavior on the set of The Apprentice didn’t stop when he decided to run for office. Now, his rampage as a political bully is more widespread than ever, and it’s probably doing more harm than you’d think.
16. Every Time He Objectified His Own Daughter.
Can you really support a man who says it’s okay to call his daughter a “piece of ass” or implies that he would be having sex with her if he wasn’t her father?15. When He Ridiculed Alicia Machado.
Because "Miss Piggy" and "Miss Housekeeping" just aren't acceptable, but unfortunately, this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his misogynistic remarks.
14. When He Insulted POWs.
“He’s not a war hero. He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.”
Sorry, John McCain, I guess your sacrifice for this country isn’t something Trump would label as “heroic.”
13. When He Mocked a Disabled Reporter.
I shouldn't even have to explain why this is horrendous.
12. When He Called Mexicans Rapists.
Well, after recent events, it looks like you're the real rapist here, Donald. Here are some other racist things he's said about Latinos.
11. When He Impersonated Chinese Negotiators.
Can you imagine this guy negotiating peace treaties? Watch the incident here.
10. When Trump Pushed His Birther Theory.
Immediately after the election of the United States’ first black president, Trump jumped to accuse Barack Obama of being a Kenyan and not an American. Obama finally released his birth certificate, which showed that he was born in America and that Trump’s a racist.
9. When He Insulted the Khan Family.
Once again, we see Donald Trump disrespect veterans and their families, but this time with a twist! He also decided to perpetuate Islamophobia while doing so.
8. When He Attacked Megan Kelly.
As we all know, Donald Trump is incapable of gracefully accepting criticism or facing any type of opposition, so when Fox News reporter Megyn Kelly refused to coddle Trump’s ego at a GOP debate, he felt that the only appropriate thing to do was make sexist remarks about her.
(Oh, and he also retweeted a supporter who called her a "bimbo.")
7. When He Said He's a Fan of Torture.
As if we needed any more proof that he’s violent and cruel, here’s a little more: He thinks waterboarding should be legal.
6. When He Flipped Out on the GOP.
Prominent Republicans have been un-endorsing Donald Trump left and right after his most recent scandals with sexual assault, and it appears that Trump reached a tipping point when Speaker Paul Ryan announced that he will no longer defend Trump or actively campaign for him. During a temper tantrum that the presidential candidate threw via Twitter, he claimed that he is now free of the “shackles” of his party’s leaders.
But like he said in the first presidential debate, he has a great temperament.
5. When He Said He Would Kill the Families of Terrorists.
While discussing his plans to stop ISIS, Trump reaffirmed what we already knew: that he’s a sociopath. We can all agree that ISIS is a serious threat that must be put to an end, but I think it’s safe to say that killing innocent children really isn’t how we defeat terrorism.
4. When He Wanted to Put a Ban on Muslims.
Because who wouldn’t want a president that doesn’t understand the first amendment? Here are the details of his Islamophobic plan.
3. When He Was Accused of Sexual Assault.
Even if you don’t believe the claims being made against Trump, there’s something else going on that needs to be acknowledged. The way Trump is handling these allegations is the exact reason why so many victims of sexual assault don’t come forward. Instead of simply denying the claims, he chose to ridicule his accusers, question their motives, and insult their character.
Here's a list of the women who have come forward (so far) to accuse Trump.
2. When He Said He was Going to Build a Wall.
We already covered the fact that Trump is no stranger to racism, so let’s just move on to another reason why Trump’s wall makes me proud to not support him: The idea is ludicrous. However, Trump supporters still feel the need to chant “Build That Wall” every time they get the chance to.
1. When He Laughed About Sexual Assault and Dismissed It as "Locker Room Talk."
At this point, I assume that everybody has heard about the disgusting remarks that Donald Trump made to Billy Bush back in 2005, and it most definitely shouldn’t be excused as “locker room talk.” Let’s call it what it is: misogyny and sexual assault.
So here's to you, Donald. Thanks for your wonderful contributions to the world.