Donald Trump is not a man accustomed to being underestimated, but that is exactly what America is doing. Honestly, I'm not afraid to say that America is underestimating his ability to be a legitimate candidate for the 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries.

Trump does not garner the same respect that many of the other GOP and Democratic candidates do, which is really quite sad considering everything he could do for America.

While it seems that many Americans treat Trump's candidacy as more of a joke than anything else, he actually does have ideas that could greatly benefit us. America is an amazing country, one that I am glad to be a citizen of, but it is in a state of decline, not growth.

Economically, we are suffering. Unemployment is still a very real problem, as companies continue to outsource jobs. We are highly dependent on China and our national security is compromised because the current administration does not take a hard stance against foreign nations. Trump has plans to fix these problems that have been weakening our country's foundation for years.

Above all else, Trump is a successful businessman, and right now, America needs a leader who knows how to stimulate the economy. Trump wants to target China's currency manipulation and reduce the corporate tax rate to 0 percent, among other things. America currently has the highest corporate tax rate in the world, which is why corporations go abroad — it's much cheaper. By lowering the tax rate to 0 percent, businesses will stay in America and hire American workers.

As for national security, Trump is much tougher than President Barack Obama has ever been. Trump recently gave a speech regarding illegal immigration and the Mexican border, a speech that many criticize due to his generalizations about Mexican immigrants. Offensive commentary aside, it is important to realize that at the root of his message he actually made a lot of valid points.

First off, Trump was speaking about illegal immigration, not immigration in general. He is right in addressing the danger that the border poses. Simply put, there are criminals coming into America. Hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants commit crimes and are imprisoned after coming to America, burdening taxpayers with the cost of incarceration. Trump proposes deportation, a move that would lessen the economic strain on Americans. Trump also supports completing the border fence so as to secure the border for good.

Trump's ideas are powerful, they are smart, and they just might be able to save America from the path of decline it has been heading down.

No, Trump may not be the most politically correct, and he might be quite outspoken, but is that really a bad thing? He does not cower from controversial topics, nor does he hold his opinions back. That kind of personality combined with his strong ideas could be just what America needs in 2016.