I asked a few people, some even friends and family (I feel like it is important to note that I do live in Alabama), why they supported Donald Trump. Below, are some of their responses. I would like to say in advance, I am not trying to attack Donald Trump supporters or promote “the liberal media.” I want to simply show some of the flaws and ignorance that surrounds Donald Trump.
“The Democratic Party has failed for 8 years and we need to get back to our roots.”
Citing one issue that we can all agree is relevant- unemployment rate. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate is currently at five percent (as of March 2016) in the United States. Wherein, back in 2008, unemployment was at five point eight percent (11.1 million unemployed). Although it may seem like a “minor” decrease, this meant many jobs for the American people.
“We, the country, are in an economic slump. Trump, being a business man, knows how to solve the issue.”
According to CNN, Donald Trump’s casino company has filed for bankruptcy four times in the last few decades. Apparently, “no major U.S company has filed for Chapter 11 more than Trump’s casino empire in the last 30 years.” To address these issues, Trump has made statements that make it sound like it is normal to file bankruptcy. But, Bankruptcy.com shows that less that 20 percent of “public companies with assets of $1 billion or more” have filed for bankruptcy in the previous three decades.
“Even though he’s a conservative, I feel like he is still progressive on social issues.”
During an interview, Donald Trump suggests “punishment” for women who decide to get abortions and stated that he thinks the United States should ban abortions. Although, he does not state what the “punishment” should be. Women receive abortions for a variety of reasons, one of which could be the safety of the mother. Another could be that the child would never be carried to term due to health related issues. It is unclear if Donald Trump would “punish” these women as well for having abortions. Before abortion was legal in the United States, thousands of women died each year while receiving an illegal abortion (according to Guttmacher Institute). It is estimated that around 200,000-1.2 million illegal abortions took place each year, during the 1950s-60s.
Link to video of Donald Trump discussing abortion ban/punishment:
https://youtu.be/sQfJpTUYr2Q“He will not be bought by special interest groups or PACS. So he will focus on the people and not the interest groups.”
According to a nonpartisan campaign finance tracking website (Open Secrets, a Combined Federal Campaign approved charity group), the Make America Great Again PAC (pro-Trump, SuperPAC), has raised $1,732,684. The Committee to Restore America’s Greatness (pro-Trump, SuperPAC), has raised $341,008. The Patriots for Trump (pro-Trump, SuperPAC), has raised $131,623. TrumPAC and American National Trump SuperPAC have a combined total of $86,718. Each of these groups listed is a SuperPAC, meaning that, they are prohibited from donating funds directly to the candidate but can give/raise unlimited funds to "overtly advocate for or against a candidate." The sum of these groups combined is $2,292,033.
No matter who you decided to vote for in this election, please review the data and statistics available to you. Go read about their campaign and see how it applies to you. Do not vote for a candidate just because it "sounds like" they would be a good fit for the presidency.