Though the title of this article is meant to be funny, never in my life have I heard something so repulsive coming from the mouth of a presidential candidate. Donald Trump's recent apology has nothing to do with remorse and everything to do with public relations. I don't care how you feel about his policies, I don't care how you feel about Hillary Clinton, and I especially don't care how you feel about Bill Clinton seeing as he's not running for president. Also, please do not take this as an endorsement for Hillary because we're not talking about her. We are not talking about comparisons or in lists of wrongdoings or in anything else. We are strictly talking about why Trump is not a good candidate and not a good representative of the people. Trump is not someone I want sitting in the Oval Office, period.
So here's the problem: Trump's "locker room talk" is an indication of how he lives his life. Trump is someone who takes what he wants when he wants from whomever he wants. In some respects, this has made him a shrewd businessman, which I understand many people admire. However, in a personal sense, Trump is just an immensely powerful bully who lacks basic empathy. From a young age, we are all taught to share, do what is right and above all else be kind and loving. From a religious standpoint, it is clear that love is the highest calling we have as humans, and Trump demonstrates anything but love.
To quote Paul in his letter to the Corinthians, "love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." Have we seen any of this from Trump? Some may argue that being loving and running a country have little to do with one another, but I would argue the opposite.
We are living in a fallen world riddled with hate and indifference. As Americans, we have the privilege of distance from the extreme poverty, inequality, and injustice that most of the world is suffering. At the same time, some of this is happening in our own backyard or over the bridge or across town. The United States was built upon the ideas of independence, justice, and equality for everyone who steps foot on our soil. In light of Columbus Day last week, it seems appropriate to say this has not always happened, even from the start. Throughout history, unjust rulers have gone down in the books for their cruelty and for the massive amount of harm they have brought. Let us not forget, however, that even during Hitler's time he had a literal army of supporters looking for someone to blame and for someone to lead.
I understand Trump's appeal in some ways. We have an illegal immigration problem, so let's build a physical wall to prevent more people from sliding across the border. It seems like action, and it seems fast. Everyone is tired of waiting months and years for bills to go through the process of becoming laws. I get it, truly, I do. Grab them by the pussy, and take what you want. I get the appeal of that too, not in a sexual assault kind of way, but in a human kind of way. That's how he's gotten to be as successful as he is, and that's how a lot of people have found success: by taking things. But realistically, we all hate the Dolores Umbridges and Joffrey Baratheons of literature and television. We all know they're not doing what is right, and we loathe them for it. I understand this may be the way to run a successful business, but is it the way to run a successful country? By which standards do we measure that?
To consider a country successful, most often we look at money and defense: Do we have a lot of money and do we have the means to protect it? Are there a lot of poor people? What does the crime rate look like? How much land do we have? What else do we have to gain? What can more can we take? How do we get our hands on oil and other imports that we need?
Why don't we look at success differently? We should be looking at happiness and healthiness instead of weighing everything in gold. As far as Trump goes? Money is the frontrunner, and I think that's the wrong way of going about this. I am not saying everything will be butterflies and daisies and drum circles. I definitely understand that there's no such thing as a perfect person. There's no easy answers in this election. I am truly devastated that Bernie Sanders and John Kasich or another of the Republican candidates are not going head to head in these debates. I'm disappointed that it has come down to these two. I don't think it should be Hillary, and I definitely don't think it should be Trump either. Both of these candidates have things twisted. We shouldn't be looking for power or wealth, but for justice, truth, and love from our candidates. Unfortunately, we seem to be out of options. All I know is that someone who has ever thought it was okay to even speak so nonchalantly about sexual assault does not deserve the presidency. And Mr. Trump, if you ever grab me by the pussy, I'll put you flat on your back. And even then I know you'll try to look up my skirt.