*This article is intended for those you out there who are terrified of a President Trump. If you support Trump, we can agree to disagree. But this article is not aimed at you necessarily.*
For those of you out there who are terrified of Donald Trump becoming our president, you are not alone. I completely share this fear. Many other people share this fear as well. People have been trying to warn everyone in America of how terrible Trump is. He makes many different groups of Americans infuriated with his disrespect and carelessness. He is racist, homophobic, rude, and downright presidential. There is endless evidence to prove how much of a disgrace Trump would be to the Oval Office. However, he still has thousands of supporters and will probably be the Republican nominee for the presidential election. How did this happen?
Many people have said that Trump will soon say something so offensive or ridiculous that the "undecided voter" won't possibly take him seriously. This is not true, however. Trump will continue to be a bigot because his bigotry has gotten him the nomination. Trump can almost say nothing wrong, because his supporters see his rudeness as a stand against political correctness. Many people are frustrated with the red tape and political gridlock that consumes this country. Unfortunately, Trump seems like the unlikely solution for many people.
When people use facts, figures, or even statements of how offensive something Trump says to try to prove that he's unfit to be president, it does not work. If anything, this fuels the fire for Trump supporters. They see his offensive comments as a stand against political correctness. If you are consistently upset by things Trump says, you may be tempted to post about them on social media or to try to point out how horrible he is. But let's face it, we have been trying to do that for a year. It hasn't worked. Trump is probably going to be the Republican nominee.
For the rest of this campaign, I am going to try to defeat Trump with humor. This does not mean I am not going to take him seriously - of course I am. He is a bigger threat now more than ever. However, the time for rational discussion about Trump's merits is over. He is clearly not qualified or dignified enough to be President. If people cannot see that, we cannot convince them now. Therefore, arguing about how horrible he is will backfire. To me, an incredibly rich, reality TV star running for President is a joke. I think we need to start treating him like this.
Trump somehow turned his name into a brand. When we think of Trump, we think of a successful businessman who just exudes power, money, fame, and fortune. What if we instead tried to turn is name into a national joke?
If you are sincerely concerned about a potential President Trump, just try to laugh it off. Use parody and satire when talking about him. Make fun of him to people you know. Use sarcasm (when it is clear that you're being sarcastic). It may seem juvenile, but taking any other action seems to only work out in Trump's favor. I do not think this approach is sinking to a lower level. It is simply recognizing Trump for what he is. Taking him less seriously will decrease his power. Once we stop believing in Trump, the potential for President Trump decreases. He only got the nomination because enough people believed in the idea of a "Greater America Again". Now, we have to stop believing in him. And the only way to do this is with humor.