Donald Trump is shockingly the Republican candidate for the 2016 presidential election. At first, everyone thought it was a joke that he was running, but now it has become all too real. As a young American, I am terrified of the possibility of being stuck the next four or even eight years with Donald J. Trump as our leader.

As a disclosure, this article is not to jab at Republican ideals or to promote Democratic ones. This article is to discredit Trump’s claim that he can “Make America Great Again” based on the sole fact that his campaign is fueled by hate. He has relentlessly spread hate and advocated violence in order to maintain bigot supporters. I don’t know about you, but that is not the future I envision for this country. We are better than that.

America was built upon the principle that anyone from anywhere in the world could make a prosperous life for themselves and their families. This was the American Dream. If America could still encompass this philosophy it would be great, but based on Trump's claims, this is the same thing he is trying to stop. He has claimed that he wants to stop illegal immigration. This sounds good on paper until you actually realize the extent immigrants have to go through to become an American citizen. The test alone is close to $1,000 to take only once and it is very difficult. The solution shouldn’t be to keep immigrants out, but rather to fix our process of citizenship. Illegal or not, we have to remember these immigrants are people and need help overcoming their struggles. America is their safe haven.

Racism has been an issue in America since the beginning. Everyone is constitutionally equal, but does everyone truly follow that? Not a chance. For some reason, many of Trump's followers believe that white people are the only Americans that have value, and he does not even attempt to correct them. As a leader, he should make it clear that everyone in this world has value despite his or her heritage because that philosophy is exactly what America was founded upon. Instead he indirectly validates their bigot mindsets. With all that is going on in America, what we need more than ever is compassion and understanding toward one another, not a further division.

Donald J. Trump and his family have never had to face adversity in their lives. How could he possibly understand what the poor, unemployed people in this country are going through? This is not to say that you have to be poor to understand or sympathize with the impoverished, but Donald Trump has made it clear that he does not. All he ever does is boast about all the money he has and infers that if you are unemployed, you are a lowlife. As Americans, we need to stand with one another, not widen the divide amongst one another.

In the recent months, violence has been consuming this country with national and terroristic crimes. Instead of condemning this violence, what does Trump do? He claims that more violence is the answer. Furthermore, if one disagrees with him at his rallies simply by holding up a sign, he promotes violence by telling the crowd to fight him or her and in return he will pay their legal fees. There are multiple occasions where this has happened, and it is sickening. By denying someone who has different beliefs, Trump proves that he does not respect our First Amendment rights provided by the U.S. Constitution.

Donald Trump has made it clear that he does not respect woman. Women have faced adversity since the beginning and guess who is refusing to help shatter that glass ceiling? Trump. By no means am I insinuating that a woman has to be president in order for there to be equality in America, but it is obvious that Trump sees women inferior to men. He has countlessly made sexist remarks to various women and has made it clear that he believes they are only useful if they are attractive. How can America ever be equal if our next potential president acts in such a way? We will be a laughingstock to foreign countries because it seems like we will be taking a million steps back as a nation instead of moving forward.

There is no way Trump could ever “Make America Great Again” when he defies everything we stand for as a nation. He thrives on hate and violence to keep his campaign running, and it is just wrong. The only thing he has ever promised is a division of the people in our nation. If you simply take a look at the crowd that supports him, it becomes clear what his agenda is for the future of America. There is no diversity, there is no love and there is no compassion. Without these things how could America ever be great?